#which is the most her coded album ever

[cam-stopped-eating-candles]

[rallamajoop]

An absurdly detailed analysis of That One Soldat Photo

Hang around wintersberg fandom long enough, and you'll likely run into a popular crack-theory that, since Heisenberg obviously thinks that building a set of huge, yellow-painted signposts is a good way to point Ethan to the Stronghold, maybe it's Heisenberg who's been leaving all those handy, yellow-painted supply crates all over the place for Ethan to find! It's exactly the kind of fun nonsense I'd enjoy if it didn't feel folks are starting to take it a little too literally (by which I mean I have now read multiple fics in which it's played completely straight ‒ and, like, people do get that it's just a crack theory, right? Like, why would Heisenberg have left so many yellow crates around his own damn factory? Look, you don't have to explain every last game mechanic, not everything is lore!)

But as anyone reading my own fic would know, I'm guilty of echoing the idea that Heisenberg-was-leaving-stuff-for-Ethan myself ‒ just not because of any yellow-striped crates. No, I'm way more interested in this one weird soldat-photo you can find in the village ‒ long hours before you'll ever see your first Soldat in the flesh...

Very creepy. And if you turn it over, you'll find a clue to a puzzle you'll have to solve in order to progress.

(And of course, when you do look out the window, odds are you'll get jump-scared by a lycan just when you're focused on the numbers, because RE8 loves that sort of misdirection ‒ but I digress.)

Anyway, the code you can see out the window will open a safe containing a jack handle you'll need to move a vehicle in the village, as well as the M1911 pistol (which will very likely be your go-to handgun for the rest of the game). The game is full of conveniently-helpful clues like that (heck, most games are), often with no obvious Watsonian justification. And there are other photos around the village ‒ Luiza has a whole photo album ‒ but photos of experiments created by Miranda and her lords don't generally turn up outside their own territory.

For a player exploring the village for the first time, that photo is a lovely little bit of foreshadowing, hinting at monsters and factory stages to come. But on replaying with full knowledge of Heisenberg's later attempts to get Ethan on his side, that Soldat photo is just enough to make you go, huh... did Heisenberg leave that for Ethan? Like, on purpose?

You can find another copy of that photo later, in Heisenberg's factory, along with his notes on his early series Soldat experiments. Which doesn't really prove anything beyond the fact that assets exist to be reused... but it does at least make it pretty canon that Heisenberg has photos of his Soldats sitting around.

Possibly also significant: both the clue photo and the factory documents are tagged 'geekmemo' in the game files. Most everything related to Heisenberg in the files is labeled 'geek'-something ‒ it seems to be an early nickname for his character that lasted well into production. Everything in the factory is geek-something, even the model for the passageway from the altar to the bridge is labeled 'pathtogeek'. Considering that so many soldat-related assets are already labeled 'geek', maybe that 'geekmemo' tag doesn't really tell us anything we don't already know ‒ but it certainly doesn't work against the idea that Heisenberg wrote that 'memo' himself.

Besides, it's not like there isn't precedent for this kind of thing. RE7 had a whole mechanic where you'd have to find 'treasure photos' pointing out the location of a few rare and useful items, all with "I hid something here" written on the back. We're never explicitly told who left those photos lying around, but it's obviously Lucas: he loves playing games, he loves taunting prisoners with the possibility of escape, and who else would it be? The complete population of the Baker mansion is like 6 people and a bunch of semi-sentient mould.

Over in RE8, there are a lot more village resident who might have left that clue lying around. Like it or not though, Heisenberg is very much RE8's equivalent of Lucas: the family's wildcard show-boater who loves making Ethan jump through hoops for his amusement. So how does the game let us know it was Heisenberg who left this particular clue? Well, who else would leave a message on the back of a Soldat photo?

There's may be additional supporting evidence Heisenberg could be involved ‒ most notably the location, being a locked-off cul-de-sac labeled 'Workshop' on signs and maps. The area is full of metal junk very much like you'll later see lying around the factory.

The workshop location does have other relevance ‒ it makes sense that you'd find the jack handle in the village workshop, whether Heisenberg was involved or not. But it also stands to reason that if there's anywhere in the village proper where Heisenberg might hang around and leave clues for Ethan, the workshop is it. And you have to admit that leaving Ethan useful stuff in a safe along with an easy clue that will likely get him jumped by a lycan is 100% more in-character for the guy than just leaving useful stuff out in the open, even if it doesn't really prove anything either.

There's one more weird-little does-this-mean-anything detail: there are three dead crows near the safe too.

It's not the first time in the game you've seen dead crows (there were a bunch outside the village, and I've talked about what that might mean in the context of Miranda's cult before). But I don't remember finding any others around the village itself, other than in this one spot. And instead of being hung from trees like a ritual sacrifice, these ones are just dead ‒ messily, and with blood everywhere.

Now, maybe it doesn't mean anything, but is there anyone in the village more likely to vent his frustrations by violently killing a few of Mother Miranda's avian avatars than Heisenberg? I'd think not.

In conclusion: I still don't think all those yellow crates have anything to do with Heisenberg. And I still don't know for sure whether the RE8 development team wanted me to assume that Heisenberg left Ethan that photo, jack handle and gun. I don't know if we're supposed to read that Heisenberg keeps a workshop in the village and sometimes kills crows out of spite. But the evidence sure does point that way ‒ and it's as valid an interpretation as anything else you might take from this game.

[misskattylashes]

The Ballad of Miles Peter Kane

I’m writing this because 80% of the speculation in the AM/TLSP/MK fandom is about Alex – ‘he shags groupies, he’s gay, he’s bi, he’s autistic, he’s an arrogant bastard’....the list is endless. Because he is our master of deception and subterfuge, he opens himself up to speculation.

But on the surface Miles is so different. Happy, smiley, seemingly open Miles, sharing his home and his dog and his family on social media. Chatting away in interviews like a little bird. People think he has it together.

But dig a little deeper and read between the lines, and I get a completely different picture of Miles from the Rascal of 2008 to our One Man Band of 2024.

I have been watching some early interviews with Miles recently and he shoehorns the topic of women and girls into them far more often than Alex ever has. A simple question about if he likes meat is met with a ‘not in a gay way’. At a time when Alex was being photographed looking like Alexa’s little brother or Arielle’s hot gay pal, Miles was being ‘papped’ with his tongue down the throat of the latest hot model or Page Three Girl. There was a sexy girl in every video. And before you say it, yes there were in AM’s videos, but find me one where Alex interacts with them. There was also Miles’ relationship with Suki Waterhouse which I find hard to believe wasn’t real, unless he is far better than Alex at faking a relationship.

Controversial as this may be, but in my opinion, early videos of baby Al flirting openly with Andy, and pressing himself up against Miles, and a bit later on, even AM Alex flirting with that hunky male interviewer, does not point to someone battling too much with their inner homophobia. I think Alex – as ever – has two personalities. The Alex known to the inner circle is out and has been for many years. But Mr Schwartz - the public facing Alex, struggles with his sexuality and the effect it will have on his career and that of his three ‘brothers’.

But read between the lines of their lyrics from the AM/Don’t Forget Who You Are era. AM is filled with longing, of someone who doesn’t know where they stand with this secret - keeping lover who treats them differently at night than during the day. DFWYA is still full of ‘she’ and ‘her’ songs, although ironically the lyrics to Out of Control are so Milex coded it’s funny. I will always maintain Give Up is about Alex (I think ‘stand so tall’ is a figure of speech rather than literally lol) lyrics like ‘you’re pretty good looking but I’m looking for a way out’ and ‘stop tainting my soul’ scream Alex. Don’t forget both albums will have been written around the same time, so I am guessing that they were going through the conflict of Miles not knowing what to do, and him somehow blaming Alex for his confusion, but at the same time unable to keep away from him.

So we reach 2015 and the recording of EYCTE. Something happens. Once on stage and once in an interview, Alex talks about them falling in love whist recording the album. Traditionalists will choose to think he means with their ‘girlfriends’ at the time, but once on tour it is obvious there has been a change in the dynamics. Alex is coquettish and sexy, but his stage personas have all been a variation on this since Humbug, but Miles is different. Miles can’t keep his hands off Alex, Miles follows Alex around the stage like a lovesick puppy. In interviews gone are the playful lusty looks of TAOTU era, instead Miles gazes at Alex like he’s the most beautiful and wondrous thing he’s ever seen.

I think Miles had finally seen the light and realised he was in love with his best mate/casual fuck buddy. He could no longer go on treating Alex like some dirty little secret, and he could no longer deny his sexuality.

What happened afterwards? Who knows, I guess they’re the only ones who know the full truth. But they both came out of EYCTE depressed (the two interviews recently posted on here show this), but Miles admitted to having a mental breakdown, and all I can do is speculate why I think this happened. Imagine being a young man fighting inner demons about your sexuality, you finally realise you’re in love with your best friend and promises are made (see Someone to Rely On and Wrong Side of Life) and he leaves you to go off to France to record an album and keep up his ‘relationship’ with his girlfriend. You have laid yourself on the line and taken a huge step for him and he's gone.

In Alex’s defence, he probably had years of Miles letting him down and also the responsibility of AM etc, but this isn’t about Alex.

But time is a great healer and I think Miles came out of the whole period a different person. By Change the Show, we lose the ‘she’ pronouns (just one ‘girl’, and Suzie and Caroline) and sexy girls in videos. Gone are the models and page three girls. There is a brief ‘romance’ with Nadya Duke, but that is it.

So we come to One Man Band. Apart from one ridiculous tongue in cheek podcast with his friend James Buckley, where he goes on about women (incidentally just before the Ireland gigs with AM), Miles has changed. In early interviews, his childhood heroes are Lennon and Oasis…no mention of Baggio. With One Man Band we suddenly get Baggio and in interviews he talks of how eight year old Miles thought Baggio and the Italian football team were sexy. Old Miles would have followed that up with something like ‘the sort of sexy that pulled birds’, but there was nothing like that, instead he was admitting that part of his sexual awakening was admiring Italian men.

The video for The Wonder had a sexy woman, his friend Didem, but somehow the dynamic felt different, the general vibe was more two mates mucking about.

His stage persona is more ‘fruity’, he is using ‘she’ pronouns but to address himself, and whilst he isn’t ‘out’ - he may never come out publicly, it is entirely his choice - there is definitely a change in Miles, he seems more settled and happy in his own skin. He said he had therapy during the bad period and hopefully that helped. Interestingly he has posted songs about difficult relationships with fathers, and without casting aspersions on Miles’ dad, I wonder if part of his earlier issues were about him trying to please him. Liverpool has quite a macho culture – especially 20-30 years ago. Let’s not forget Miles liked and commented on that beautiful poem about men who know they are gay even when they are children. Maybe it resonated….

Miles story is a fascinating one, a look at a young man fighting his inner demons to get to a point where he knows his true self. I always think Troubled Son is the counter to Body Paint. But Troubled Son is about Miles coming to terms with who he is and accepting his own faults, Body Paint is Alex keeping on his costume, which he doesn’t look like taking off any time soon. Hopefully private Alex is as happy as Miles, and it’s just that public face that looks as though their world is ending.

[corrodedcoffins-blog]

OK BUT SPENCER'S AND BAU TEAM REACTION TO TTPD????

spencer reid x famous!reader

warnings: miscarriage (will put a warning before and after), im basing most of the mention/emotions of miscarriages with my experience with my sister who has gone through a couple while she was trying for a baby as well as research i did, mention of weed

note: this has taken a while to write cause i wanted to interpret the songs on my own time before applying then to the au, so i hope it was worth the wait!

this quickly became my analysis of the songs (in the context of the au) rather than the bau's reactions

feel free to send a message to my inbox about what you think their reactions would be/fav songs i love hearing about that stuff from y'all 🩷

Fortnight (ft. Post Malone)

I don't picture this song to be about Spencer. I see it as more fictional in the way folklore and evermore were more fictional inspired by different things that have happened in her life. Also I feel like Emily likes Post Malone so she was excited for this song, and Penny love the ai fortnight but love the real fortnight better.

Spencer is always worried when a sadder song comes out that it's about him, but reader always reassures him that it's not and that she loves him.

The Tortured Poets Department

THIS SONG IS SO SPENCER REID CODED. "you're in self-sabotage mode" !!!!

I feel like this is Rossi's fav off the album 🤷‍♀️

I said this in an ask a while ago but sometime in 2020, maybe 2021, they had a sort of break and this song was written during that time for sure.

"but you told Penny you'd kill if I ever leave, and I said that to Jack about you so I felt seen, everyone we know why it's meant to be, cause we're... crazy" I feel like this line really explains the break they were on. Like they were so co-dependant and loved each other so much that it was the problem. Everyone knows they're meant for each other but they still get in their own way, Spencer with not wanting to get married when reader did, and reader not wanting Spencer to spend so much time with work. And they just weren't thinking of the same things at that time.

My Boy Only Breaks His Favourite Toys

"He saw forever so he smashed it up" reminds me of "i wouldn't marry me either" but in 'you're losing me' she's blaming herself for the break whereas in this song she realized that it was Spencer and his commitment issues. Which always makes me think of the line "I'll tell you that he runs because he loves me" which can be seen as a really sad line but I think in this instance it's that she wants to accept him for all his faults, he's going to run sometimes when he gets scared but he always comes back, and they're working on that.

"Once i fix me, he's gonna mix me" reminds me very much like 'you're losing me'

"Stole my tortured heart, felt all these broken parts, told me I'm better off... but I'm not" do I have to say commitment issues and self-sabotage again?

Down Bad

Emily loves this song. She loves the vibes, she loves the lyrics, just everything.

In my eyes, it's about Spencer. Reminds me of "told me I'm better off... but I'm not."

So Long, London

Penelope's favourite part of the album is the opening of this song, first time hearing it she said it sounded like wedding bells.

In Virginia there's a town called New London thats 2hrs from Quantico... It's meant to be.

"Pulled him in tighter each time he was drifting away" you guys gonna make me say commitment issues every time?

She's clearly talking about her side of when they both weren't communicating and how he hurt her when he couldn't commit.

She really thought it was over when she wrote this.

But Daddy I Love Him

The shock in that room when she said "I'm having his babies!"... Derek found it hilarious, the girls were having a heart attack.

I think she's not not writing about Spencer in this song. Idk how else to explain, like it's kinda about backlash from every time she gets in a relationship no matter with who, which happened with Spencer so she's talking about that but not that exclusively. Does that make sense?

Fresh Out The Slammer

I think this song is about getting out of a relationship and now you're free to be with someone else who you've had your eye on. This song was written so long ago it's basically a rep vault track. In this au when reader and Spencer met reader was with Tom (i think??) but still gave Spencer her number and called him after she broke up with Tom, and that was the birth of this song.

Florida!!! (ft. Florence + The Machine)

Written about the idea of getting away, taking a break from life, while her and Spencer were on their break. She needed a break, all her friends were either single and smell like weed or they had kids and she wanted kids, but Spencer wasn't ready, so she had to get away from what reminded her of him.

Guilty as Sin?

"What if he's written 'mine' on my upper thigh only in my mind" she's imagining what it would be like if they got back together.

Is the second half of this song when she says "they're gonna crucify me anyway,,, i choose you and me, religiously.." And the song sounds like it ended but they she comes back in with the chorus, cause she thought it was over but now they're back better than ever.

"One slip falling into a hedge maze" a labyrinth is a hedge maze, because she fell back in love.

The last "Am I allowed to cry" is almost like can I cry from relieve? Relieve that it worked.

Who's Afraid Of Little Old Me?

This song is Spencer Reid coded.

Derek and Emily love badass-ery of this song. Pen loves the production "I love the production of this song!" "I'll pass that along to Jack."

Spencer just can't help but tell her he loves and is proud of her after hearing it.

I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)

This is about a past relationship, no way can I see this to be about Spencer.

I feel like JJ really likes this song.

loml

This song was written, probably not too long after 'you're losing me' when they had that break and she was in the depression stage. She wrote this when she thought she lost him, she thought she did all she could and still lost him.

I Can Do It With A Broken Heart

warning!!!miscarriage

I had written down the idea of them having miscarriage in my notes app a couple weeks or maybe even a month before the album, cause of the song 'bigger than the whole sky' and when I heard this song with this in mind it broke my heart, that I knew I had to do it.

I'm thinking they were trying for a while and having lots of trouble, then stopped when the tour idea was falling in place, but she ended up miscarrying during the practice for the tour while not knowing she was pregnant. Likely she didn't know because she was on birth control and because she was working so hard and so busy with Midnights and the tour.

So with all the trouble they were having trying to get pregnant, Spencer was grieving in his own way, sadly it hurt reader a lot. He was angry, he probably said things he didn't mean, they were both feeling so much sadness and anger and they couldn't handle it. I think at this time, they were still going to bed every night together, but it was off and they no longer spent time together. Spencer needed the time to himself, when all reader needed was time with him (want to be clear no one is in the wrong in this situation, it's just a fucking bad situation)

"He said he'd love me all his life, but that life was too short" has two meaning (they were having a boy)

"I can hold my breath, I've been doing it since he left. I keep finding his things in drawers, crucial evidence I didn't imagine the whole time, I'm sure I can pass this test." 😭 Like referring to her baby, and since they'd been trying before they had a couple baby things like clothes that she couldn't stop herself from getting in hopes 😭😭😭

end of warning

The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived

Every verse I see as being about a different relationship. Working on re-records it's bring up old feelings and I think she just collectively put all the feelings into this song.

Spencer was beyond scared it was about him, he was already apologizing for making her feel that way before she could tell him it's not about him.

The Alchemy

This idea I have is so silly, that I think it works???

Spencer once said off-handedly that his job was kinda like football, it was strategy, and you failed a lot but sometimes things just fell into place like a puzzle. And reader ran with that idea, like she couldn't sleep that bight and just had the silly thought of Spencer, her Spencer, playing football and wrote this. Little off topic but I also think this about 'Miss Americana and The Heartbreak Prince' lol

Clara Bow

The self-name drop. The team's jaws were on the floor, their eyes were wide. When Pen realizes she's like "DID YOU JUST DAY YOUR OWN NAME??!?"

The Black Dog

Maybe like the team was seeing how Spencer was down recently and brought him out to a bar after work.

And Spencer didn't 'forget' to turn off his location he never did because he still had the hope that the relationship wasn't over, that this was just a rough patch.

imgonnagetyouback

Spoiler alert: she got him back.

Because no matter how much they hurt each other they're in love. And it reminds me of a boygenius lyric "You could absolutely break my heart, that's how I know that we're in love." that lyric in bodies them.

The Albatross

This is like a sister song to 'peace'

This song to me is obviously about the narrative that she's the problem. She's the one destroying all her relationships.

And she's telling Spencer in this song "I've been through this before, it doesn't matter."

Chloe or Sam or Sophia or Marcus

This song is her thinking about them seeing other people. Her imagining him with other people, how much that hurts.

And around 2020-2021 maybe there were rumours about her seeing some athlete or something cause of 'And you saw my bones out with somebody new, who seemed like he would've bullied you in school'

And maybe not the entire song is about him (that's me trying to make him sound better) I see it as mostly her thinking off some what-ifs.

I think they both caused each other a lot of pain, but their love out-ways that completely.

How Did It End?

Written the same night as the Black Dog and she's thinking about what Spencer tells the team.

I see the fact she says 'it's happening again' instead of 'it's happened again' tells us that this is not a sure thing, she's thinking about what people will think if it does end.

So High School

What if it's just a lover vault track lol.

I Hate It Here

I think Penny really likes this song.

It's definitely written in the state of mind of the prophecy, that she's just not meant to be loved but she wants to so badly. So she escapes into her mind which I picture is folklore/evermore.

thanK you aIMee

They love the petty vibes, probably was Penny that first showed or sent a TikTok of North listening to reader's music and was like "girl, you see this yet?"

I Look in People's Windows

In this au I see this as a folklore or evermore vault track.

The Prophecy

Very similar to 'how did it end' and 'i hate it here'

Cassandra

Again it's very similar to 'mad women' so maybe she chose which one to put on folklore and put the other on this album.

Peter

I think she wrote this as a break up song, with a lot of metaphors but what sticks out to me is in the bridge.

"Cause loves never lost when perspective is earned, and you said you'd come and get me but you were 25,,,forgive me peter please know that i tried to hold on to the days that you were mine."

Spencer was 25 in this au when they met and it's so perfect and sad and I love it.

The Bolter

In this au the 'She' in this song is reader.

Robin

I feel boring by saying I think it's another track written in the fictional world of folklore and evermore, but for the au that's what I think!

The Manuscript

In the directors on directors interview she called the All too well short film script 'the manuscript' that's all the evidence I need.

Spencer encouraged her to write this song, because he saw all the emotions she was dealing with while writing/directing the short film.

[1dmonthlyficroundup]

— 1D Monthly Fic Roundup —

Hi, and welcome to the 1D Monthly Fic Roundup for August 2024! Below you’ll find 1D fics that were all published this month. We hope you’ll check out these new fics! If you would like to submit your own fic, please check this post on how to submit or visit our blog @1dmonthlyficroundup​. You can find all our other posts here.

Happy reading!

＊ I've been here for days by @justanothershadeofblue [E, 18k, OT5]

Somewhere in the desert, a man is called by God to raise up a righteous generation, to bring forth the kingdom from his own seed and the wombs of his omegas.

He will do it by any means necessary.

A series in six parts. Part 1 of Keep Holding Me This Way

＊ i'm going out tonight by @disgruntledkittenface [M, 3k, Harry/Louis]

Louis hasn’t been appreciating his boyfriend Harry. He only realizes it when Harry takes matters into his own hands. Inspired by Bejeweled by Taylor Swift.

＊ And I'm Okay (with what i'm not) by red_panda28 / @red-pandaaa [T, 6k, Louis/Harry]

“So, speaking of steamy scenes.” The interviewer, Harry had already forgotten his name again, gestured with his mod cards between Harry and his co-star, Sam. “With all the intimacy going on on-set, was there ever a time that continued… off-camera?” He winked at the camera.

OR 3 times people make assumptions about Harry's sex life and the 1 time he snaps

＊ Gotta Feeling by @allwaswell16 [T, 2k, Harry/Louis]

When Harry's life in Manchester isn't turning out the way he thought it would, he decides to visit his best friend in Mexico City. Maybe Niall can convince him to move halfway around the world.

＊ HOT TO GO! by @allwaswell16 [T, 2k, Louis/Harry]

When Harry does something weird at the barricade, he leaves Louis’ show devastated and hoping he can somehow make things right.

Or the accidental pervert fic

＊ Let the Feeling Last by @allwaswell16 [T, 5k, Harry/Louis]

Omega Harry thinks the alpha at the grocery store buying a cart full of vegetables must be an amazing chef. He doesn't know that Alpha Louis is feeding all those vegetables to his pet pig.

＊ Stars over Amsterdam by @hellolovers13 [T, 4k, Louis/Harry]

Louis remembers how stressed they were, trying to get tickets at all. The waiting for the email with the code, which only Louis got, the actual On-sale. How Harry stood behind him, peeling at his nails nervously. Trying not to distract Louis.

But it had all gone smoothly and he had gotten the tickets within just a few minutes.

Harry had jumped around Louis’s chair in excitement like a bouncing ball. Already starting to plan their outfits.

A gold fringe dress for Harry, Fearless was his favourite album, after all, and a matching shirt he had found online for Louis. So people could tell right away they were an item.

That was their plan. Before it all went to shit.

or Fate in form of Eras Tour tickets forces Louis to meet up with his Ex.

Hopefully soon to be Ex-Ex.

＊ Stronger Than the Tide by @haztobegood [G, 3k, Harry & Louis]

The time Louis had spent talking with Harry in the cave had flown by. He was still unsure where the time had gone. Maybe it was because this was the first real connection Louis had made in years. Love and sex did not interest Louis, and it became harder to find good friends.

It was different with Harry. Their conversation flowed effortlessly without pressing for more. Despite the hours they spent together in the cave, Louis wanted to keep talking, to share more of himself, and to learn more about Harry. He hoped their paths would cross again soon.

＊ The Grundy County Drag Show Incident by @haztobegood [T, 3k, Zayn/Liam]

The instrumental opening of Beyoncé’s Halo filled the bar, and the crowd clapped in time to the beat. Holding a wireless mic in her gloved hand, Veronica Stardust owned the stage. She was one of the most vocally talented drag queens in the Midwest. Harry and Louis had seen this act a few times before and were always blown away at the power of her voice. Liam, however, was just experiencing it for the first time. He didn’t know what was yet to come. Part 2 of Grundy County Incidents

＊ Porcupine by sweetkalachuchi / @neverforpickles [E, 82k, Louis/Harry]

Louis, a broke omega librarian, finds his quiet life in Vienna turned upside down when he meets a charming four-year-old boy named Venus, who insists that Louis is his "Mama." When Venus's father, Harry—a powerful and dangerous mafia leader—offers Louis a lucrative job as the boy's full-time nanny, Louis steps into a world where love and danger are deeply intertwined.

As Louis grows closer to Harry and Venus, he discovers the perilous secrets of Harry's underworld life. Their unexpected connection sparks a passionate romance, but with Harry's enemies closing in, Louis must navigate a treacherous path where his heart and life are at risk. This is a thrilling tale of love, danger, and the irresistible pull of two souls drawn together against all odds.

＊ Miracles At Sunsets by sweetkalachuchi / @neverforpickles [T, 16k, Harry/Louis]

Harry and Louis are best friends bound by years of shared memories, but their relationship is complicated by a tangle of unspoken emotions. Harry, an Alpha, is deeply in love with Louis, an Omega, but fears revealing his true feelings might shatter the friendship they’ve built. When Harry decides it’s time to settle down and start a new chapter in his life, he turns to Louis, an interior designer, for help in finding the perfect home.

What begins as a light-hearted search for a house soon becomes a journey of self-discovery and emotional upheaval. As they explore potential homes, their bond is tested by the growing tension between what is said and what remains hidden. Can Harry find the courage to reveal his heart, or will their unspoken desires tear them apart?

＊ Symphony by sweetkalachuchi / @neverforpickles [T, 4k, Louis/Harry]

In the peaceful countryside, Harry Styles is a hardworking farmer who’s all about keeping things running smoothly on his farm. But when a routine check on his crops leads to a nasty fall from his horse, Harry finds himself seriously injured. Determined not to worry his pregnant omega, Louis, he stubbornly drives himself to the hospital, knowing full well that Louis would be frantic if he found out.

Meanwhile, Louis gets a call that sends him into a panic—Harry’s in the hospital. Rushing to his side, Louis is a mix of anger and worry, not sure whether to scold Harry or hug him. As they reunite, the two navigate their emotions, and despite the scare, their bond only deepens, proving that together, they can handle anything life throws at them.

＊ Let Your Tears Fall (No I Won't Judge You) by LiveLaughLoveLarry / @loveislarryislove [E, 7k, Harry/Louis]

“I want to feel good," Harry says. "I want you to feel good. I just… I don’t know what that looks like.”Louis nods. “That’s fair,” he says. “Always a bit of a learning curve, figuring out what you like and what you don’t.” He rubs his chin. “What if we just… talk through it? Instead of doing it?”Harry blinks. “What do you mean?” he says. “I don’t – I just don’t know what-”“I know,” Louis says. “It’s okay.” He brushes his hand down Harry’s cheek, soft and gentle. “I can start,” he says. “Tell you about what I imagine us doing together. And anytime you feel like something isn’t right – you can stop me, and we can figure out a different path.”Harry nods slowly. “Okay,” he says. “I can try.”

Four times Harry cries during sex. And four times Louis is right there beside him, giving him all the comfort and support and validation he needs.

＊ Donatello by @jooles999 [M, 42k, Louis/Harry]

"GET OFF MY BUS!"

Louis neck bristled, he glared into the face of the man towering over him, his pupils black with unfiltered rage he opened his mouth ready to respond before hearing fast approaching footsteps from behind the curtain.

" Jeff, What's all the shouting about?"

Louis clamped his eyes shut gulping for air as a tightness gripped his chest.

No it can't be

Seconds felt like hours, he shivered as time stopped still. Louis opened up his now glistening eyes, he held his breath and bit tightly on his bottom lip trying to prepare himself for the moment he had so carefully avoided for 3 long years.

The curtain pulled back.

" Yes yes you have guessed right well done, it is indeed Harry Styles, you can close your gawping mouth now mate. Ill even be nice and give you a tour t-shirt, then you can get the hell off my fucking tour bus and back to...."

"L..Louis?"

Or One stormy night popstar Harry and accountant Louis are reunited after 3 long years apart. Harrys manager is dangerous and controlling can Louis save him before it's too late.

＊ I long for that feeling to not feel at all by @ineverateakiwi [NR, 2k, Harry/Louis]

When he is not around and Harry needs to feel more grounded, steady on his own feet, he thinks of Louis. It's probably not healthy to rely on someone this heavily, but it's better than nothing. It's what he has right now. And, right now, it's working. Is thinking about that feeling, the feeling of being real, being alive, that he whispers – without thinking – those two words. — "Hurt me."

Harry needs to feel something, even if it's pain. Louis gives what he needs.

- Fic Fests -

＊ 1D Aro/Ace Fic Fest / @1daroaceficfest [Masterpost]

A One Direction Fic Fest centred around all the identities on the aromantic and asexual spectrum

- Podfics -

＊ [Podfic] Write You A Song by by Rearviewdreamer / @all-these-larrythings read by Panda_Podfics / @pandapodfics [G, Louis/Harry]

Harry’s new flat is great but the acoustics are even better. They’re so good in fact that his daily shower concerts start to entertain an audience besides his shampoo bottle.

[papikyoo]

Fuck it, I will post whatever I want. Here's 10 kate bush songs that remind me of mithrun. I made a playlist so you can see the same vision: here

Jig Of Life: THIS is literally his theme song, Mithrun convincing his past self to fight for their shared life, the harsh wake-up call exhibits his critical view of himself, the lyrics are so vivid. The Irish folk instruments fit the dunmeshi settings as well, the outro feels a lot like him reviving from the death, "C'mon and let me live, girl!

2. Suspended in Gaffa: the desperate feeling of wanting something and not being able to have it right now, maybe he's after his own death or desire in this case. It's a beautiful song with a religious imagery.

3. Coffee Homeground: I think it captures his distrust and fear, which he thinks he's being poisoned(betrayed) by others, and the Demon also used that fear to drive him crazy.

4. The Infant Kiss: this is a very controversial song of Kate, but it doesn't glorify anything at all, but rather about being torn apart by a situation that seems innocent at the surface but there's a dark and evil threat underneath and to me, it feels a lot like Mithrun and the Demon's relationship, that the Demon presented itself as a baby goat, and Mithrun reached to pet it, even though the Demon granted him "gentle love", Mithrun as a canaries member likely knew that it's a threat, so this song describes that dilemma, the story of this song has Gothic elements which is similar to how I see Mithrun's backstory, isolated, mysterious and distorted.

5. Get Out Of My House: pretty much his experience in his own dungeon. TBH, The Dreaming is my favorite album of her.

6. The Fog: I share this song HC with Kabru because Kabru's feeling towards Mithrun is complex and protective, he tries to encourage Mithrun to grow, while his sense of navigation is as foggy. There's nothing to worried about, just put your feet down, Mithrun. In my opinion, Kabru is a bit preachy when he tries to give an idea what Mithrun should do so the lyrics about being taught how to swim by your partner is perfect.

7. Full house: this song is pretty personal, but again, I like to imagine it's an inner monologue of his past self.

8. The Red Shoes: the idea is being tricked to wear the shoes and not being able to take them off, he's being controlled and forced to perform for others.

9. Hounds Of Love: it's more like a Kabru's song to me, but I think it could apply to Mithrun too... I really like the drum that sounds like running footsteps.

10. Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God): Do I have to explain... this is the most popular song ever lmao

I have more songs but I will yap too much. thank you for the person who agrees that Mithrun is kate bush coded, I love you.

[greatestwizardofthisage]

assigning each of the bad kids a taylor swift era because i am feeling deprived of tswift content now that she's on break from the eras tour

Kristen: Fearless. I can't even explain why, but to me that album is just so sunny and in my mind it fits Kristen perfectly. I think maybe it's because Fearless was one of the first album I ever really loved, then when I was older the rerecording is what got me back into tswift and I can totally see Kristen going through a similar journey with it where maybe she loves it as a kid but then stops listening to it as she distances herself from her childhood/family, only to fall in love with it again later on. Also I feel like the country vibes fit her well. (She would also LOVE betty but she would pretend it's a lesbian anthem)

Gorgug: Ok this feels controversial but he's a Lover stan. I just fully belive that to his core Gorgug is a lover not a hater and he would un ironically love Lover. Like to me that album is all about having gone through some bad shit and choosing to only carry forward the best of it? And that fits with my perception of Gorgug. ALSO the end of afterglow 'I want to be defined by the things that I love, not the things that I hate, or the things that haunt me in the middle of the night' just feels very Gorgug coded to me dont ask me why. However if you've seen any of my other posts about music and the bad kids you know that I wholeheartedly believe Gorgug loves all music so I think he'd be hard pressed to choose a favourite album.

Riz: Midnights. And not just because this kid never sleeps. Bassically I really couldn't decide which album he would listen to because none of them really fit, but then I started thinking about specific lyrics and I think Midnights has the most that he could relate to. I mean 'no one wanted to play with me as a little kid so I've been scheming like a criminal ever since' is about him. You can't change my mind. I do think though that Riz is definitely more invested in all the easter eggs and firguring out which album is coming next over actually listening to her music. Like he would for sure be among the first to figure out all her clues.

Fabian: 1989 and Folklore. I fully to the bottom of my heart belive that until his sophmore year Fabian would exclusivly be listening to pop music, sea shanties, and weird elven music. So obviously he would love the greatest pop album ever made. He wouldn't listen to Folklore until post sophmore character development. Also he would For Sure learn the choreography for the dance in the background of Dress on the Rep tour and recreat it perfectly using his sheet.

Fig: Speak Now. I mean do I even need to explain this? It's the perfect album for Fig. It's the kind of thing she would have loved when she was in her Preppy Cheerleader phase, but it has just enough of that pop punk influence that I feel like she could still appreciate it when she's older. I feel like she would definitly take issue with some of the misogynistic lyrics used in some of the songs, and would be all for the lyric change in Better Than Revenge. Also as I've mentioned many times before, Fig would love Paramore, and would LOVE Castles Crumbling. Like you're going to sit here and tell me that lines like 'They used to cheer when they saw my face, Now I fear I have fallen from grace' + 'Their faith was strong, but I pushed it too far, I held that grudge 'til it tore me apart' + 'Ones I loved tried to help, so I ran them off, And here I sit alone, behind walls of regret' + 'People look at me like I'm a monster, Now they're screaming at the palace front gates, used to chant my name, Now they're screaming that they hate me, Never wanted you to hate me' weren't written by Figueroth Faeth? I also just think songs like Never Grow Up and Long Live would perfectly fit with her not so secret sentimental streak.

Adaine: Evermore and Folklore. I think theres just a sort of elegence to these albums that really reminds me of Adaine. I also think theres so much vulnerability in them and a lot of the songs touch on feelings of not being good enough for others (mirrorball, tolerate it, this is me trying, right where you left me) that I think she could relate to not from a romantic relationship standpoint but from all the expectations placed on her by her parents. I also think that although these are probably the most low key of tswifts albums, they have some good angry songs (no body no crime, illicit affairs, mad woman) that she would definitly love. But yeah this is mostly based on aesthetics. Evermore and Folklore were albums written with a quill and Adaine is the kind of girl to appreciate this.

[topperscumslut]

it’s funny to me that half of the songs on my album (and honestly some of the best ones) focus on parallels and comparing the people from my life that the songs are about to pop culture figures, either celebrities, fictional characters, or historical figures

so here’s basically the cheat code to half of my album, what the songs mean, who and what they’re about, and what i reference in the lyrics

No One Like You is still prolly the most insane song I’ve ever written, it’s about hooking up with my ex from high school and EVERYTHING, down to the title, is a reference to him playing Gaston in high school theatre

Sycophant is about me cutting off my ex best friend, and was written around the release of the TBOSAS, wherein nearly the entire song is a metaphor that also fits the roles of Sejanus Plinth and Coriolanus Snow as well as me and her, respectively

Crowned Hearts was largely inspired by a real family that survived the Titanic that I’d learned about after having recently visited the Titanic museum and getting randomly assigned the boarding pass of the wife/mother, only to find out she shared my birthday and died in my hometown in the same hospital i was born in, that she’d been a member of the local theatre AND the country club I’d gone to with my high school ex, and had a very similar personality and interests to me. Crowned Hearts is about my at the time recent ex who helped me find her (and her son’s) grave, after we broke up i then proceeded to WRITE this song in 45 minutes flat AT her grave, wherein her and her first husband who she survived the Titanic with represented us, with the new guy i was starting to fall for that i worked with representing her second husband, who she also worked with

and finally, Torture Me is about a night i spent with my situationship/friend/fwb/failed talking stage (the aforementioned coworker), and verse 2 is almost entirely about how we happened to only watch Matthew Lillard movies together AND how he looked like Matthew Lillard when he was younger, making Matthew a sort of inside joke of ours (not in a making fun of him way, just constantly joking about how funny it was how relevant he was to our friendship) and a HUGE motif of this guy ANY TIME, no matter how subtly, i mention Matthew Lillard in a song

(also my latest song, Best for Last, which isn’t part of my debut album cuz it’s doesn’t fit in the Heart of a Siren, Soul of a Bard vibe and/or timeline, is ENTIRELY based on the Matthew Lillard motif and is actually ABOUT me meeting Matthew and titled after something he said to me personally, and about growing apart from this former situationship. definitely a deep cut, im really excited about this one.)

[wibble-wobbegong]

The Vanishing of Mike Wheeler

In this little post of mine i’m gonna be telling you the story of how Mike’s disappearance is gonna go in S5 through the perspective of the Hellfire DND game, which represents the Rightside Up/The Party’s POV, and an album which can be directly associated as the Upside Down/Henry’s POV of the same events, revealing how all of this is actually gonna go down in the show.

I know you guys all know what DND game I’m talking about, so I’ll introduce you to a little album called Under the Influence by Overkill from 1988.

In order to connect this album to the DND game, you have to look at the design of the cover here. The most prominent feature is the giant skull with horns and bat wings, right? When you go to look at the set up for Eddie’s DND stuff, there are two stickers:

Both of those have the exact same symbol: a skull with horns and bat wings. What makes these stickers unique is the lightning bolt behind them, which isn’t in the 1988 cover (the first time this mascot ever gets used). The only character we can directly associate with actual lightning is Henry. Yes, Will is sometimes associated with electricity in non-canon content, but Henry was literally struck by lightning in the show.

In the album, there are constant references to the invasion of the mind, being reborn, and there are a few mentions of needing to head for the light as well. This album is heavily coded as Henry’s POV, but it’s also tied to Eddie. That’ll be important for later!!

Character Establishment

Ok, so before breaking down the DND game itself, let me explain which figurines represent which characters really quick.

Mike is represented by his paladin, obviously. Same with Dustin and his bard. Lucas, although he isn’t playing right now, is still being represented by the ranger on the table. I believe the figure I’ve associated with El is a mage, which also lines up because Mike declares her to be the Party’s mage in S2. As for Max’s figure, I don’t have any idea what class that figure is meant to be but the figure is prominently blue, which is a color heavily associated with Max in S4. I don’t know much about DND, so maybe I just don’t recognize the class, or there isn’t meant to be a recognizable class because Max is a zoomer.

Now, as for Will, I hate this just as much as everybody else will but I think he’s being represented by the Vecna figure. For one, we know that Henry himself doesn’t really align with the description of the actual character of Vecna. More so, we never actually witness the Vecna figure attacking anyone. It’s implied, but the visual isn’t there which normally wouldn’t matter except that we do see the attack against one character; Mike. That attack doesn’t come from Vecna.

Most importantly, though, is the the design they chose for Vecna’s figure. There are many different versions they could’ve gone with but they chose the one where Vecna’s staff has the green in his staff. You know what that looks a lot like?

So, Will is being represented by the Vecna figure. Considering that this is all gonna play out in reality in the UD, that actually makes perfect sense because Will is sort of the Vecna of the UD, like how Henry is the Vecna of the RU. The’re opposites.

As for why the actual Vecna, Henry, is being represented by another figure is something that can only be explained through telling this story. Same with Eddie. So, let me dust off this book I found in the corner and show you what I’m talking about.

The Vanishing

So, the DND game is reflecting the reality of S5 when the party decides to go after Vecna. DND games have always been used to predict events in the pasy, as we saw with the ‘weird flowers in the cave’ coming true in S2 and Hopper’s cover-up story being exactly as described by how Mike and Lucas died in the S3 campaign. What I think it really important about this game, however, is the fact that the Hellfire game seems to be ending with a crawl. Crawls are used in DND to set up fights with monsters and take place on a set map, which is what the Hellfire Party goes through. There is a very deliberately set map for the end of this campaign.

It’s important to remember this, because 5x01 is called The Crawl. The Party is gonna be going after Henry pretty soon after Will/Mike reveals he’s still alive. I don’t think they’ll jump into it immediately, but in terms of episodes they’re either gonna be planning their attack or possibly setting it into motion in the first episode. 

 The meat of this section goes into two things; Mike’s dice roll and the third song from the album, Hello from the Gutter. After the Hellfire Party establishes that they’d fight Vecna to the death, the second scene is of Mike rolling the dice. Mike’s roll is actually given the same level of importance as Dustin and Erica’s rolls and it’s shot very similarly too. There’s one thing that all three of those scenes have in common, and it’s the color of their dice. Those are the only times the red-on-black dice are used. It’s not a matter of who gets to roll them, but rather what the represent. What the r-o-b dice are confirming is that this will be happening in the future. They’re inherently predictive of incredibly important events. Although all of this is predictive, these three rolls are the most important by far because they’re turning points in the story. So why is Mike’s included? Let’s really look at that scene. When Mike rolls his dice, we never see what number it lands on, unlike Dustin or Erica, but we know it’s low enough to ‘kill’ him. I’m sure you can figure out a number that would be low enough to lead to a death, a number that’s important to the story, and a number they couldn’t show us. One.

When we look at the result of Mike’s dice roll, something weird happens.

This is actually the first time we can confirm that the dark sorcerer is Henry, because that first image places the Overkill symbol directly above the dark sorcerer and even has the lightning bolt pointing directly at it. In the perspective of the RU, both Henry and Mike’s deaths are implied. Mike’s death is implied verbally and Henry’s is implied on the board. So, I’m actually gonna consult the lighting to explain this. 

When you look at the lighting of this scene and compare it to the lighting for the other scenes of the DND sequence, this lighting is significantly darker with much heavier shadows. Many times throughout the show, we can associate the lighting of a scene changing into something darker with an illusion occurring. The perspective of the RU is being distorted. In actuality, both Mike and Henry are very much so alive. So what’s the point of having the paladin up while the sorcerer goes down? Look at where the paladin is standing. The paladin is in the shadow, in the darkness. The sorcerer is in the light. The darkness is showing the reality, where Mike is alive. The light is showing what the Party sees. Henry is associated with darkness and light is associated with Will. It comes together perfectly when you consider that our perspective of the events of Will’s vanishing in S1 is warped too. Just like how Will’s perspective was distorted then, it’s distorted again so he’s being shown Mike and Henry’s deaths, but Henry’s perspective shows the truth.

In that case, what actually happened? That’s where we turn to the album, which tells us exactly how and why Mike disappeared. 

For the first two songs of the album, the perspective of Henry is established through lines like:

“Dirty little rumor, circulating round... / Spreadin' like the plague. in every little town / Capturing the spirit! and goin' to the head”

“From the fire to the streets / I've seen it all... / I've melted in the heat”

There are, however, lines that don’t quite line up with the idea we have of Henry. That’s where the connection to Eddie comes in. Obviously, there was a reason they decided to associate the album with Eddie rather than just placing it around in another way and that reason comes in when lyrics about being reborn start coming in.

“And then a brand new day! / A chance to be reborn / I've seen another way / No time to sit and mourn”

“Didn't want to sit and rot″

I’d like to point at that it seems like Henry’s body may very well have been rendered immobile due to being attacked by a molotov. Eddie’s dead body was left in the UD, complete with no consciousness yet not decomposed either. I’m not saying it’ll be permanent, but I do think that Henry may seek refuge in Eddie’s body by becoming the consciousness that inhabits it. That’s why Eddie is being so heavily associated with this piece of Henry; Henry is living in Eddie’s body. Henry is living through Eddie’s music taste much like he will be living through Eddie later on. 

This is important because the song I mentioned at the very beginning of this is the song that tells us how Mike was taken. Mike isn’t stupid enough to separate himself on purpose and there would be too many people around to protect him if Henry just tried to force his way towards Mike. He needs something that would lure Mike away from the others so he can capture them in an illusion and get Mike alone.

This song is a call to a teenager, repeating the phrase ‘hello from our little hell’ over and over. The story goes and has someone who survived the gutter live to tell the tale and beckon the child to join him. He even tell the child that they’ve been expecting him. I think Henry had called for Mike in Eddie’s body and beckoned him away from the others, because of course Mike would follow Eddie if he thought he’d found him. Mike has seen 3 people come back from the dead, it’s not unbelievable that the same could happen for Eddie. Mike cares about his friends like no other, so if he needed to find Eddie he would. 

This might seem like a reach, but then I’d like to bring your attention back to that shot of Mike’s paladin and the dark sorcerer. The paladin’s shadow reaches out and connects with the cultist who represents Eddie (or, rather, Henry in Eddie’s body). The cultist is in the light, but is connected to the darkness by the paladin’s shadow. Eddie is still, technically, Eddie in both the Party’s POV and Henry’s POV, except before Mike is taken he’s tricked into believing that Eddie is still Eddie inside and out, but the reality is that Eddie is only Eddie on the outside. 

What’s most interesting is that I don’t actually think Mike was taken involuntarily. When I mentioned having a potential date for when Mike disappeared, I got that from @aemiron-main​ and his insight about the LOTR/ST parallels. One thing he informed me of was that a deal was made on April 6th to end the week of hell occurred. To set the timeline, the first death of S4 happens on March 22nd, then a week passes by and the show ends on March 29th. A week after that would be April 6th, leaving the hell that is the UD to rain on Hawkins. If Mike were to encounter Henry directly at his weakest, I think it’s very in-character for him to try and find a way to put an end to all the chaos and protect his friends, family, and Hawkins. Mike has always wanted to do anything he could to protect people, and he’s smart. If Henry wanted him for some reason, he would absolutely use that to his advantage somehow. Mike disappears after making a deal with Henry to put an end to the chaos and keep his family safe and Henry uses an illusion to convince everyone that both of them are dead.

The Experience

It doesn’t end there. Henry wouldn’t just end it because he has Mike, that makes no sense. He’s going to put Mike in a trance. Like I said, Henry doesn’t have the strength to maintain his own body and needs to recover. If he keeps Mike and doesn’t kill him, he can sap the strength from Mike slowly and consistently; those psychic connections give him power. He couldn’t kill Mike, because he’d need him for later but he could use that trance state to keep Mike in place and heal himself. How do I know this? The first song that details how this trance is gonna play out is called Mad Gone World. 

“In a world gone mad and thriving in the boundaries of your brain / Imprisoned in a world solely created for the purpose of a crunch”

This line heavily implies the idea of a trance because it’s a world existing entirely in one’s brain, just like how the trance takes the world you know and puts it in a place only your brain can reach. Also, it’s a little funny, but the ‘world created for the purpose of a crunch’ is literally what the point of the trances is. He creates them so he can connect with his victims and kill them, crunching their bones. Lmao

“What ya see and what ya feel / Are nothing nothing real / A visionary climax! / An imagery so clear / Losing touch or reason / Both quickly slip away”

Again, more lyricism that equates to a trance-like state. We start to move more into what actually occurs during the trance, though. Mike slowly moves towards losing reason because he’s being put in a trance, and seemingly for a very long time. 

“One million minutes... / One million nights / One million dreams I've had! / And a million fights / Livin' in a mad gone world / Livin' blind / Livin' with this worldly madness / Just a state of mind / Just a state of mind”

One million minutes and nights implies just how long Mike is going to be in this trance. It seems like Mike is going to be tranced for the two year time skip, which is why this album is from 1988 and not 1986. There’s also a great post here that explains why Mike being missing for the time skip makes sense narratively. A million dreams and fights implies undergoing tons of visions and such in this trance as well. Living blind is also a reference to the way that the vitcims’ eyes roll back when they’re tranced. And, all of this stuff is occurring as a state of mind to Mike because it’s happening in his head. 

The other song that walk us through his trance are called Brainfade and Drunken Wisdom. They aren’t as extensive as the other songs, but Brainfade is all about accusing someone of being a liar, saying they’re “full of shit” and there’s also a short monologue that talks about Vegas and an RV which makes me think we’ll at least be getting a call back to the van and a memory with the actual Eddie and they’ll be intertwined. It could possibly be how we find out about how Mike is queer. Maybe he’ll relive the van scene and run out of the car and run to Eddie’s RV out of instinct and then find Eddie and confront another aspect of his queerness right after. Just a possibility.

The final song that details his trance is called Drunken Wisdom, and this song covers the other things we’ll likely see in Mike’s trance. 

“Your bitchin's a bore / Don't wanna hear it no... more / So stop cryin' / Ain't feelin' nothing for you”

 The first verse is all about getting someone to stop crying, that their bitching is a bore. That comes back to the way Mike doesn’t value his own feelings and believes his own opinions don’t matter, that his problems are lesser than. 

“Sorry if I'm not as nice as you could be! / Why don't you take the time to see?  / That the world! / Does not revolve around only you / And we got better things to do”

This addresses Mike’s selfishness and how he feels like an asshole for making things about himself sometimes. It’s about how he isn’t a good person and how there are more important things in the world than him, which is something we’ve seen him be insecure about before.

“Why don't we give you a call”

Direct hit! Mike’s lack of calls to Will and losing his best friend are here now too!

All of this would pile up on Mike, especially after years of going through it. That leads into our final trance song; End of the Line. It opens with a reminder that time has not stopped passing during all this. Then, we get this.

“On the edge, standing”

Well. I think we’ve seen this before.

“Time. Time after time / The end of the line / We stand and watch it fade away... / Sign of the time's the end of the line”

Yeah I think we get it. Mike’s gonna go back to the cliff. He’s gonna try to kill himself again. We got it. 

“It's your move / So play... it right / Sometimes you get just one chance”

This’ll make more sense later, but I think that this is moment where the party opens a portal back to the real world and Mike has a chance. He can end it all, one way or another. This is the only chance he’s gonna get to pick. 

“It's the end / It snuck up... / Quick and took you by surprise / The waiting's over”

The waiting is over. Mike’s made his choice.

The Rescue

Let’s take a quick step back to the Party’s POV. I don’t think we have any evidence of what happened during Mike’s trance, but I do think I can figure out who actually opened the portal and saved him. Remember the dice rolls? The r-o-b ones? There are two other ones.

This is clearly predicting El’s attempt at saving them, and it fails, but let’s look at it a little closer. Who are all the characters in this frame? We have Mike, Max, Henry, Eddie, and two skeletons. What ties all these characters together? They all exist within Henry’s mind one way or another, and the two skeletons are representative of Fred and Chrissy. 

This is pretty much evidence of the fact that El is gonna go into Henry’s mind at some point and witness Mike’s trance. She won’t be able to free Mike or Max, but she will get to have her realization moment. 

So who succeeds?

Here we have El, Dustin, Lucas, and Will. Only Will and Lucas are standing. Will and Lucas are the 20 that save Mike. Will makes sense, with his powers and such and him being Mike’s light, but why Lucas? Check this out.

Look behind Mike. Lucas is there. I think Lucas might’ve seen something that’ll hint to him that was he was seeing was an illusion. Lucas is gonna play a part in saving Mike because he’s the person who might actually know anything about what really happened. Assuming we’re getting the Mike/Will role reversal, then Lucas stays the same. The only person who wanted to find Will just as badly as Mike was Lucas (excluding Joyce). If Lucas thinks he can find Mike, he won’t stop, and he may end up going off on his own to do so or he and Will stick together because Lucas no longer has doubts about hoping. 

So Lucas and Will are gonna be the ones to save Mike. Does Mike choose to go through the portal? Head First answers that.

“I push to the left, you pull to the right! / It's a stand off / Gainin' no ground / Outta the dark and into the lights! / It's a breakthrough / Startin' with sound”

Mike is going for the portal, dodging Henry’s attempts to push him to the left. He’s running out of the dark and into the light thanks to sound, which is exactly how Max escaped Henry the first time. 

“Up down the front and side to side! / Code blue / We need it stat / I got the reason that makes you go! / Mid air / Suspended animation”

“It all ends with an all out dive!”

He makes it out, now suspended midair. Henry tried to kill him (code blue) and failed. It ends with a dive, just like how Robin, Steve, Nancy, and Eddie dove into the UD, Mike is diving out.

The problem is that this has brought Will to Henry. Overkill II is a whole beast on its own. It feels much more like a summary of Henry’s perspective on his relationship with Will than anything else, which is Gross. I won’t break down every single lyric because if you read it you’ll see what I mean and that’s also not the point of this post. It’s icky sticky bro

On a lighter note, however, I think we have a return date for Mike! Once again, I thank Em for telling me about these amazing LOTR parallels because April 7th is supposedly the date in which Sam and Frodo have their hospital scene after that week of hell (sorry I don’t remember the exact names and I think I forgot to tag the post he told me stuff in). Not only do the times line up, though there’s two years between the events for us, they also make sense with everything else we know about Mike and being in the trance during the time skip as well as the fact that April 7th is Mike’s birthday. That would be insanely significant, especially if that somehow ties into birthday gate. 

Mike went missing on April 6th, 1986 and came home two years and one day later, April 7th 1988. 

I know that was a lot, so thank you for reading!! There was a ton of info in here but it was so fucking fun to put together, so I hope it’s as cool to you all as it is to me :)

[other-shades-of-sapphire]

Mirror – Bang Chan

Chris x best friend Bora, circa April 2018

Of the very first time they let each other know about their feelings, for Bora was Chris' mirror and he was hers.

In this universe, Chris was the youngest child and he lost his parents and brother a year before his debut.

Bora was one of the few people who were the happiest when Chris finally debuted, having witnessed his hard work and dedication since high school, but she only got to meet him after the entire promotion of his debut ended, which was nearing a month later. When they finally got the chance to meet, she insisted on going to Chris' favorite place for a celebratory dinner. 

"So how was it?" was the very first question Bora asked. "Debuting? Does it live up to your hopes and expectations?" 

"And then some," Chris beamed. "It feels absolutely incredible to share the songs we've made with the rest of the world. And I get to do it with those kids, too." 

"Who all you handpicked yourself," Bora added, a fond smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. "You really did great, Chris. I'm so proud of you. And I know your parents and brother are, too." 

It was a thought Chris managed to store away for the most of the past month, blissfully being too busy with the various promotion activities. But right now, being alone with Bora, he let himself dwell on the thought just for a short while. "I really wish they were here, you know? So that I can show them that I've made it this far, that their support did not go in vain." 

Bora reached across the table for his hand, slipped her fingers between his. "They already know." 

With his free hand, Chris lifted his glass of soda towards Bora's direction in a silent toast. She mimicked him, took a long sip of her tea. 

"So," Chris said after they both put down their beverages. "Did you listen to the album?" 

"Do you really think that little of me? Of course I did." Bora hesitated for a second, seemingly weighing her next words carefully. Expecting a not so pleasant feedback, Chris was about to tell her to just get on with it when she finally made up her mind and continued. "My favorite is Mirror." 

Chris was taken aback. He did not see that coming. "Mirror? Why?" 

"For once I wish I could see myself," she hummed to the song. "That feeling of frantically trying to find yourself, chasing the mirrors surrounding you without ever really finding the answers you're looking for – I feel seen, Chris. Teared up on the very first listen." 

Chris thought he could tear up, too. The feeling of knowing the songs he made – their songs, Stray Kids' songs – made such an impact for other people – let alone Kim Bora, one among his top list of favorite people – was unbelievable, he thought he might become addicted to it. "And you're really not just saying this to make me happy?" 

Bora rolled her eyes at him. "I'm not gonna answer that. That question isn't worth dignifying with an answer." 

He chuckled. It was such a Bora-coded answer. 

"Do you know where I find my own mirror?" 

"Where?" Chris asked, intrigued. 

Bora took a moment to look up to him and smile. "You." 

It was the last thing in the world Chris had expected as her answer. "Come again?" 

His bewilderment must be obvious all over him, because Bora laughed for a good minute before answering. "I feel like I find a huge part of myself in you. All these years you've been helping me understand myself better, and for most part It's because we're so similar – so it really feels like I am looking at a mirror when I look at you." She let out another laugh, though this time quieter, and shook her head. "I feel so seen it's almost as if you made that song specifically for me." 

"Which I did," Chris said quickly, before he could lose his nerve. "Well, not for you exactly, but I wrote that thinking about you because I also feel like looking at my mirror whenever I look at you. It's exactly as you said; because we're so alike in how we think and see the world and react to things, I learn a lot about how to think and see the world and react to things from watching you, from being with you. I had no idea you feel like that too, I thought I was the only one." 

To his surprise, Bora's smile slowly faded as he went on with his answer, and was now gone entirely. He felt his blood run cold; was it too much? Was he being too obvious? He hadn't planned on confessing his love for her – not now, maybe not ever – but somehow it sounded a little like he did just that. Had he screwed this up? Was she – 

"Do you want to know how else I feel about you?" Bora's voice snapped Chris out of his dangerous train of thoughts. 

Chris felt like he couldn't breathe properly. "How?" 

She kept her eyes on him, looking eerily resolved for reasons unknown to Chris. "I'm pretty sure that I love you by now. Not in a best-friends-since-high-school kind of way, but more like you-are-my-other-half kind of way." 

If he felt like he couldn't breathe before, now he was sure all the air in his lungs had left him. 

"I know it's not the best time, with you just debuting and all," she continued, as if knowing he was incapable of conjuring a response – which, if she really knew, wouldn't surprise him a bit. "You don't have to say anything to that, too. I just thought you deserve to know." 

So many thoughts and feelings bubbling up inside Chris, he felt he might explode anytime soon. If it were up to him, he would just go across the table and kiss her to oblivion right then and there, leaving absolutely no room for doubt that he loved her too. But as she said, it's not exactly the best time. So for now he settled for taking one of her hands and held it with both of his, tightly as if his life depended on it. "Could you wait for me?" he asked slowly. "I feel the same way too, there's no doubt on that, but – I'm still not sure what to do about it, and I especially don't know yet how to navigate it around this whole situation – being an idol and all, I mean. So I'm asking you to wait for me to figure out these things first. Just – stick with me until I know where to go from here?" 

For what felt like an eternity Bora just stared at him in silence, but then she broke into a slow, bright, sweet smile. One so infectious Chris couldn't help but smile too. "Of course. I'm not going anywhere. Won't ever leave my own mirror, you know." 

Chris felt his insides twist and melt at her words. Felt his heart nearly burst, overwhelmed by so much joy he thought he didn't deserve it. "Great, 'cause you're my own mirror too, love." 

It was the very first time he used the term of endearment, but it rolled off his tongue with such ease and familiarity – as if he'd been calling her that forever. Maybe because there really was never any doubt that he loved her. 

coming up next

Find more tales of Chris & Bora and the rest of Stray Kids here!

[365-days-of-taylor-swift]

365 days of Taylor Swift masterpost

Link to the ❄️ Back to December - Challenge ❄️post

and ❄️ Back to December - Prompt Calendar ❄️

A collection of links for all the polls/questions within this challenge

August: We're in our Eras era

September: ✨Lost in the memories of my mind✨

Which album was the first Taylor Swift song you actively remember hearing on the radio from?

Which album truly turned you into a swiftie?

Which of these Taylor Swift songs reminds you the most of your own childhood/teenage years?

Which Taylor song/combo reminds you the most of your (current or past) love life?

Which Taylor song reminds you the most of a friendship you have/had?

Which Taylor song(s) makes you cry the most?

Which Taylor songs always put you into a dancing mood?

Which Taylor song would you like to play at your wedding?

Which Taylor song do you love to scream along to at the top of your lungs the most?

Which album was the first Taylor music video you remember watching from? And which song was it?

Have you ever been to a live performance of Taylor before?

Have you ever met Taylor in person before?

Which Taylor song do you hope to relate to one day?

Which Taylor song do you hope you'll never have to relate to?

Which is your favourite Taylor album to play in the car or listen to on public transport rides?

Which of her currently most popular songs on Spotify would you most like to perform live (i.e. for karaoke or with a band)?

Which Taylor song featuring someone else is your favourite?

Which is your favourite Taylor song she did on another artist's album?

Which is your fave Taylor song on a movie soundtrack?

Which 1989 (TV) vault track do you claim?

Which song is the most spring-coded to you?

Which song is the most summer-coded to you?

Which song is the most autumn-coded to you?

Which song is the most winter-coded to you?

Which Taylor song best describes fantasies you have/had about a crush?

Which is your favourite Taylor song to listen to while staring out the window on a rainy day?

Which song brings you the most joy to listen to while going on a walk?

Which Taylor song with religious imagery do you connect to the most?

Which Taylor song are you most likely to listen to before going to sleep?

Which Taylor song would you most like to wake up to?

October:

🎃👗It feels like the perfect night to dress up as hipsters 👗🎃

Which album's aesthetic most closely matches your own sense of style?

Which album aesthetic,❣️that doesn't match your own sense of style❣️, do you love the most?

Which of Taylor's Debut music video looks do you like the most?

Which Fearless era music video look do you like the most?

Which of these Speak now music videos looks is your favourite?

Which of these is your favourite Red era music video look?

Which one is your fave Shake it Off MV look?

Which one is your fave Blank Space MV look?

Which Bad Blood MV look do you love the most?

Which of the other 1989 MV looks do you love the most?

Which "Look What You Made Me Do" MV Outfit do you love the most?

Which of these Reputation MV looks do you love the most?

Which is your fave YNTCD or ME! look?

Which is your fave look from the lover 💗 music video?

What is your fave Anti-Hero or Lavende Haze MV look?

Which is your fave Bejeweled MV look?

Which one is your fave Karma MV look?

Which of these is your fave Fearless Tour Outfit?

Which Speak Now Tour look is your fave?

Which of these Red Tour outfits do you love the most?

Which of these is your fave 1989 tour look?

Which Rep Tour Outfit do you love the most?

Which Fearless Eras tour look do you love the most?

Which Speak Now Eras look do you love the most?

Which Red ❤️&🖤 Black Eras Tour Outfit do you love the most?

Which 1989 eras fit do you love the most?

Which Eras Tour Lover Outfit do you love the most?

Which Eras Tour Folklore Dress do you love the most?

Which evermore look do you love the most?

Which is your fave midnights eras tour look?

What is your fave Halloween/Costume!Taylor look?

November 🎼The devil's in the details 🎼

What is your fave first line from the first half of Debut?

What is your fave first line from the first half of Fearless (tv)? 💛

What is your fave first line from the first half of Speak Now (tv)? 💜

What is your fave first line from the first half of Red (tv)? ❤️

What is your fave first line from the first half of 1989 (tv)? 🕊️

What is your fave first line from the first half of Reputation?

What is your fave first line from the first half of Lover? 💘

What is your fave first line from the first half of folklore? 🤍

What is your fave first line from the first half of evermore? 🧡

What is your fave first line from the first half of Midnights?

What's your fave title mention in Debut?

What's your fave title mention in Fearless (tv)? 💛

What's your fave title mention in Speak Now (tv)? Pt.1 💜

What's your fave title mention in Red (tv)? Pt.1 ❤️

What's your fave title mention in 1989 (tv)? Pt.1 🕊️

What's your fave title mention in Reputation? Pt.1 🖤

What's your fave title mention in Lover? Pt.1 💘

What's your fave title mention in folklore? Pt.1 🤍

What's your fave title mention in evermore? Pt.1 🧡

What's your fave title mention in Midnights? (bonus tracks)💙 + fave dear reader

Which Debut bridge do you love the most? 💚

Which Fearless bridge do you love the most? 💛 Pt.1

Which Speak Now bridge do you love the most? 💜 Pt.1

Which Red tv bridge do you love the most? ❤️ Pt.1

Which 1989 tv bridge do you love the most? 🩵 Pt.1

Which Reputation bridge do you love the most? 🖤

What's your fave Lover bridge? 💘

Which folklore bridge do you love the most? 🩶

Which evermore bridge do you love the most? 🧡 Pt.1

Which Midnights bridge do you love the most? 💙

❄️ Back to December - Challenge ❄️

What's your favourite "one" mention in a taylor song?

more to come

[fragmentofmemories]

Since you reblogged that post about how it's ok to send you questions & statements 👀 I'll try asking a few!

a) do you draw traditionally ? if yes what's your favourite medium ?

b) do you have a favourite Touhou-related track/song ? or any recommendations ?

c) is there any voice actor you especially like ? (from any country)

d) is there a specific character or media you really like but don't make fancontent of (for whatever reason) ?

Feel free to only answer to the questions that interests you btw~

I feel like most of these answers are going to be boring because I'm somewhat neutral on these (lol), but I'll try anyway--

a) The answer is... Not really! I spent my earliest drawing years (2019-2020) using a sketchbook and whatever stationery I had. Nothing really professional or creative, just me practicing for the first time.

Which is to say I haven't drawn traditionally in a long while. As soon as I got my first and current tablet, I switched fully to Digital.

Although, that's part of the reason why I want to buy a new tablet with a screen (I don't really know what those are called).

It's not traditional, obviously, but I feel like it'd help me improve my drawing skills further. Also I need to switch my old tablet.

Don't ask me for any pre-2021 drawings btw. Besides being very low quality, I just don't feel like talking about them.

---

b) If you haven't listened to the Cafe de Touhou albums before, I'd definitely recommend those! There's 8 of them, each one themed after a different game, but they're all great.

As for official tracks, I can't say I have many favorites, but if I were to pick a few:

This might be a hot take of sorts, but music is probably the aspect that interests me the least about Touhou. By no means I'm saying it's bad, obviously. I'm just saying that, compared to the characters, gameplay, worldbuilding and everything else the series offers, the music never interested me as much.

---

c) VAs are something I haven't payed much attention to, unless it's someone very prominent in the field and you can immediately tell "Oh they hired X again for this character".

I'm guessing Johnny Yong Bosch comes to mind first when it comes to VAs, just because he tends to voice my favorites (lol). He's the current voice of Zero (Mega Man), and he also voiced P4 Hero (Persona 4), and Lelouch vi Britannia (Code Geass, also my favorite performance of his).

Meme answer, but I'd also like to add Carlos Villega for being the Latin American voice for Hisoka in 1999 Hunter X Hunter. I say it's a meme because, for some reason, he was given a French accent in that version and I can't think of him without it as a result.

1999 HxH's Latin American dub didn't age very well, but it's nostalgic to me nonetheless.

---

d)

Since I'm pretty much in a Castlevania mood rn, I have to wonder why haven't I drawn Shanoa yet?

She's one of my favorite protagonists ever (if not my favorite), her character is tragic and incredibly well written, and her design is just plain elegant.

Yet, I never stopped to think "I should draw her next", for some unknown reason. Perhaps in my spare time, while I'm taking a break off ODG, maybe?

Besides her, there are other characters I really like yet never drew before, which is to say Leif and Shanna (Fire Emblem), Kasumi Todoh (Art of Fighting) and Rei Reiho (Devil Summoner)

Lastly there's my non EO/CoH DRPG parties (I.E currently Labyrinth of Zangetsu and Stranger of Sword City). Drawing six characters at once takes a long time...

[toxicanonymity]

raider and lincoln x lana

I love getting song comparisons. 🖤 ik there are some i haven't posted bc i don't know them and wanna check them out first to add context like @javier-penas-wifexx420 has done here.

Raider Joel Joel saves you from his men but claims you as his own and takes you with him. Left in Lincoln (dbf x virgin) He's a neighbor your dads trust to look in on you while they seek treatment for Frank.

@javier-penas-wifexx420 asked:

DUDE ok so I remembered what someone said abt what lana songs the jolkemons are. I feel like specifically Raider and Lincoln are so lana coded. Raider is ultraviolence and Lincoln in honeymoon.

I feel like Raider being Ultraviolence is pretty understandable bc of how he his and how he treats the reader. Songs that really remind me of him are

ultraviolence- “he hurt me but it felt like true love.” “Loving him was never enough”

shades of cool- “I can’t fix him, can’t make him better”

Sad girl- “but you haven’t seen my man…he’s got the fire and he walks with it”

Pretty when you cry- OFC RAIDERS DACRYPHILLIA HE THINKS WERE SO PRETTY WHEN WE CRY

old money- “those summer nights seem long ago, so is the girl you used to call the queen of New York City” reminds me of how sweet pea is really disconnected from her old self and her old life, she belongs to Joel now so that’s like her only identity. Sad but also kinda hot🤪

“If you send for me you know I’ll come and if you call for me you know I’ll run.” Sweet pea is at the point where she’ll listen to anything he says and will do whatever he wants, she’ll follow him anywhere and honestly same.

And NOW, Lincoln and honeymoon. I feel like this one isn’t as obvious and some ppl might disagree with me but NO. Lincoln IS honeymoon. Honeymoon is one of Lana’s most treasured albums and if you really listen to it and focus on the subject matter it can be argued that it’s darker than ultraviolence. And while Lincoln Joel seems really sweet and loving, just like how honeymoon comes across, he’s actually really dark and just as dangerous, if not more than Raider. The album honeymoon describes intense and passionate love, kind of IRRATIONAL you could say. The album outlines just wanting to get away with your lover and be together forever *cough lincoln*

I feel like honeymoon displays a sort of desperation and a willingness to do anything one needs in order to be with their lover and I think that’s reflective of both Joel and peaches. Also in the music video for one of the songs on the album lana drinks kool-aid which is a reference to heaven’s gate and i feel like the whole expression of “drinking the kool-aid” is very accurate of left in Lincoln cause peaches is def drinking that fucking kool-aid.

Also honeymoon takes a lot of influence from older music styles, older aesthetics (the art deco aesthetic from the 20s) and in general older references and since Lincoln is almost 60 i feel like it fits him. Honeymoon is rlly jazzy and I’m p sure you said he likes jazz lol. Lana mentions Billie holiday in one of the songs and Joel would def play Billie holiday for peaches.

THE SONGS

honeymoon: “we both know the history of violence that surrounds you, but I’m not scared there’s nothing to lose now that I’ve found you”

Freak: “life makes sense when I’m with you. Looking back my past it all seems stranger than a stranger” THIS IS SO PEACHES BRO LIKE WHAT. Honestly freak is very much a left in Lincoln song. Anyway.

Religion: “you’re my religion, you’re how I’m livin…when I’m down on my knees you’re how I pray” very them, Joel is in charge of everything, peaches answers to him, looks up to him for everything. He’s her whole life now

The blackest day: “ever since my baby went away, it’s been the blackest day”

This song is one of the most left in Lincoln songs, I imagine this part references jessie leaving and her being all alone without him.

“Because I’m going deeper and deeper, darker and darker, harder and harder. Looking for love in all the wrong places.” After she was left in Lincoln™️ she was all alone and things got a lot darker, causing her to look for love anywhere she could find it.

24: “there’s only 24 hours in a day, and half as many ways for you to lie to me my little love” there’s a lot more lyrics in this song that are relevant but I think especially this one because it’s like wtf is Joel doing when he’s not with peaches?? And he’s obviously lying to her and I think she’s started to gain more suspicions (at least I hope so bc homegirl is IN TROUBLE)

Swan song: this one is the second to last song on the album and I think it is very relevant of left in Lincoln. The song basically says that all the two lovers need is each other. If you think about it, Joel just desires an eternal honeymoon with peaches, just the two of them together FOREVER

“Nothing could stop the two of us if that’s what we want, we could just get lost”

I feel like this could even be something Joel says to peaches. Like he’s just like as long as we’re together it doesn’t matter what happens. Also the “if that’s what we want” reminds me of Joel manipulating peaches and tricking her into thinking it’s all what she wants and she has a choice🤩

And I feel like a lot of the songs are very peaches coded: Terrence loves you, god knows I’ve tried, music to watch boys to, don’t let me be misunderstood

ANYWAYYYYY sorry for writing so fucking much I’ve j been thinking abt this for awhile esp the Lincoln honeymoon connection bc it’s so interesting and I love lana and your fics ❤️

-------

Toxic: This is amazing!! Thank you so much for the thoughtful analysis. 🖤 also it is killing me not to spoiler.

[kataraslove]

“love you to the moon and to saturn” jw is that a reference to taylor swift’s song seven? if yes what do you think is the ultimate taylor song for kataang 😊

YES. seven is one of my fave songs from her and one of my fave songs ever. i love that line in particular, but also i adore “passed down like folk songs / our love lasts so long,” which was my previous blog title.

i love this question, but i will admit that it’s so hard for me to choose just one ultimate song! so here’s probably like my list of the most kataang-coded songs from her discography, categorized by each of her albums minus debut:

fearless tv:

forever & always: old katara reflecting back on the promises that aang had told her throughout her life of them growing old together. i love a good kataangst.

jump then fall: from aang’s perspective, telling katara to not be afraid of falling in love. also a reference to one of his first bending lessons to her: “if you want to be a bender, you have to let go of fear.”

untouchable: it can go with any kataangst context, but specifically katara realizing that aang as the avatar might be an entity far too much for her to comprehend and far out of her reach at times.

speak now tv:

enchanted: kataang’s initial meet cute. enough said. they were enchanted to meet each other.

back to december: you can think of this as a sort of au in which katara and aang get together but it doesn’t last, so it unfortunately strains their friendship. which is why they think back to that first time they’ve met in the southern water tribe (“december.”)

superman: katara recounting what it’s like to love someone who belongs to the world. can take place right after their kiss on the day of black sun part 1 when aang flies away.

I can see you: those times when they catch each other in secluded corners in between important world meetings.

red tv:

everything has changed: katara and aang’s respective “oh” moments. i like to think of it as occurring after aang’s death.

the very first night: I saw an amazing edit of them to this so now it’s their song.

run: this is such a cute song. it reminds me of aang wanting to take katara and just escape from it all. all of his responsibilities.

1989:

out of the woods: where does their relationship stand in the latter part of book 3 amidst the war?

this love: do me a favour. just search up the chorus. and tell me that’s not aang’s conflict in book 2/subsequent death/rebirth at katara’s hands.

you are in love: there’s a lyric referencing letting go of your fears. which is exactly what aang says to katara about becoming a bender. also: “one night he wakes / strange look on his face / pauses then says / you’re my best friend / and you knew what it was / he is in love,” works so well with the “it’s reminded me how I feel about appa. and how I feel about you.”

reputation:

end game: they want to be each other’s endgame <3

delicate: can take place in the very initial stages of their relationship after the balcony kiss and learning how to navigate their newfound relationship

king of my heart: katara realizing that aang is the one she wants. the king of her heart.

call it what you want: just adult katara being in love. i like to specifically think that this is adult katara during a particularly bad time (maybe having to relive the horrors of war and bloodbending during her mission to ban bloodbending) but it’s okay because she has aang - love of her life - at her side.

lover: (THEIR ALBUM!!!!)

lover: “have i known you 20 secs or 20 years.” just katara and aang’s relationship throughout the years.

paper rings: “i hate accidents except when we went from friends to this.” THE FRIENDS TO LOVERS ANTHEM!!

false god: aang is the avatar that people worship, but he literally worships katara 😉

it’s nice to have a friend: just platonic kataang appreciation because I adore their friendship

i haven’t forgotten folklore (the best album), evermore, and midnights!! i promise i’ll reblog this with the rest. also, I dedicate this to @antizutara, who is probably the biggest kataang swiftie that i know.

feel free to reblog this with your own editions, as well. taylor’s discography is very versatile based on your shipping needs.

[the-resurrection-3d]

THEY SAID I DID SOMETHING BAD: a musical about the life and times of the unabomer, by taylor swift.

(Spotify Link) (Inspiration, provided by @significationary)

[Disclaimer: I'm not an expert on this guy, although I have notated which changes I made and cited my sources down at the bottom. I also tried to include at least one song from every Taylor Swift album. Feel free to suggest other songs I could have used!]

ACT I: OUR COMING OF AGE HAS COME AND GONE

I Did Something Bad  — Having attempted suicide while in police custody, Ted Kaczynski prepares for trial, refusing to let his lawyers use the insanity defense. In the end, after a failed attempt at representing himself, Ted pleads guilty to 13  federal charges in exchange for life in prison.

They say I did something bad,  Then why’s it feel so good? Most fun I ever had! And I’d do it over and over and over again If I could…

seven / this is me trying (mashup) - As a small child, Ted is hospitalized and isolated following an allergic reaction; reports allege this had a strong effect on his personality. Nevertheless, Ted's younger brother, David, describes him as kind and protective. Ted skips two grades in his early schooling, but is othered for being smaller than the other children and too “different” due to his intelligence. At 16, Ted goes to Harvard on a scholarship to study math.

Please picture me In the trees I hit my peak at seven feet In the swing Over the creek I was too scared to jump in… And I just wanted you to know that this is me trying… 

Tell Me Why - While at Harvard, Ted is subjected to repeated verbal abuse by his professor, Henry A. Murray, who was part of a CIA program code-named Project MK-Ultra. The program sought to understand how to implement mind-control techniques, including using drugs such as LSD, although there is no evidence that Ted was ever drugged while at Harvard. 

Here's to you and your temper Yes, I remember what you said last night And I know that you see what you're doing to me Tell me why

Guilty as Sin? - In 1966, Ted experiences an intense sexual desire to become a woman, even deciding to undergo gender transition. 

I keep these longings locked, In lowercase inside a vault…

 I Hate It Here - Upon arriving at his therapy appointment to begin transitioning, however, Ted changes his mind, and never mentions to the psychiatrist why he originally wanted to meet. Afterward, he considers killing the psychiatrist and several other people.

I hate it here so I will go to secret gardens in my mind People need a key to get to The only one is mine I read about it in a book when I was a precocious child No mid-sized city hopes and small town fears I'm there most of the year Cause I hate it here...

this is me trying (reprise) - After graduating, Ted gets a teaching job at Berkeley, but has a hard time delivering lectures and avoids his students. He suddenly resigns from his position in 1969. 

They told me all of my cages were mental, So I got wasted like all my potential…

I Can Do It With A Broken Heart  - Ted moves back to Chicago to work at the same factory as his brother and begins a relationship with a woman at work. Due to Ted’s sexual harassment of her following a sour breakup, David, his supervisor, has to fire him.* Ted moves to Montana into a cabin him and his brother had built.

I can read your mind… “She’s having the time of his life…” There in her glittering prime The lights refract sequined stars off her silhouette every night I can show you lies...

ACT II: AND IN THE DEATH OF HER REPUTATION, SHE FELT TRULY ALIVE 

the lakes / I Hate It Here (Reprise) / Clean - In his cabin, Ted lives in near-total isolation, hunting and growing his own food, and spending much of his time reading. It is here Ted develops his anti-government, anti-technology philosophy. 

I'm not cut out for all these cynical clones These hunters with cell phones… Ten months older, I won't give in Now that I'm clean, I'm never gonna risk it So take me to the lakes, I hate it here…

I Know Places - Ted, trying to convince his brother to join him, reminiscences on them building this cabin together.]

Baby, I know places we won't be found, and They'll be chasing their tails trying to track us down 'Cause I, I know places we can hide…

closure - As Ted becomes increasingly unhinged, the letters between him and his brother grow increasingly fraught, and the waits between them increasingly long. David invites Ted back to civilization but Ted refuses, thinking David is simply ashamed of having a “failed” brother. 

Don't treat me like some situation that needs to be handled I'm fine with my spite And my tears And my beers and my candles…

Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me? - Between 1978 and 1996, Ted sends 16 bombs to various universities, airlines,  computer stores, and industry figures. He kills three people and injures many more. 

I was tame, I was gentle 'til the circus life made me mean "Don't you worry, folks, we took out all her teeth" Who's afraid of little old me? Well, you should be

ACT III:  FROM HOUSE TO CARDIAC ARREST 

Cold as You / Dear John (mashup)-  David reads the Unabomber’s manifesto in the newspaper and recognizes the writing style and ideas as those of his brother. After reflecting on his strained relationship with Ted, David turns him in to the FBI and uses the reward money to set up the Unabom Survivors Fund.

And you'll add my name to your long list of traitors Who don't understand And I'll look back and regret how I ignored when they said "Run as fast as you can" And now that I'm sittin' here thinkin' it through I've never been anywhere cold as you 

Who’s Afraid (Reprise) / Look What You Made Me Do - On April 3, 1996, federal investigators arrested Kaczynski at his cabin in Montana. 

Oo, look what you made me do Look what you made me do Look what you just made me do Look what you just made me...

Cassandra - In his cell, Ted reflects on the growing popularity of the ideas expressed in his manifesto.**

So, they filled my cell with snakes, I regret to say Do you believe me now?

exile / The Last Time - David and Ted have their last conversation. During the trial, Ted never makes eye contact nor speaks to his family. In prison, he never answers their letters.

This is the last time I'm asking you this Put my name at the top of your list This is the last time I'm asking you why You break my heart in the blink of an eye, eye, eye All this time I never learned to read your mind (never learned to read my mind) I couldn't turn things around (you never turned things around) 'Cause you never gave a warning sign (I gave so many signs) So many signs, so many signs…

hoax - Alone in his cell, Ted reflects on his brother’s betrayal. 

You knew the password, so I let you in the door You knew you won, so what's the point of keeping score? You knew it still hurts underneath my scars From when they pulled me apart But what you did was just as dark

Dear Reader / ME! - In June of 2023, Ted is found unresponsive and is pronounced dead later that day. The death is officially ruled a suicide. Inside his cell, guards find a letter — a suicide note? A letter to a fan? No one can say for certain.

You should find another guiding light Guiding light But I shine so bright  I promise that you’ll never find another like me!

---------

* In reality, Ted moves to his cabin in Montana in the early 1970s, and doesn’t return to Chicago until 1978. I switched these events around for the sake of imaginary time constraints and to produce a more streamlined narrative. 

** If you’ve ever heard the meme “The Industrial Revolution and its consequences have been a disaster for the human race,” this is where it comes from.

Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

[27-liter-horse]

'Census Designated' review

To say my mind and eardrums were blown away by this record would be one of the many brilliant ways to describe my experience listening to this. I have been familiar with this album, more specifically the song 'Backseat Girl', and I was expecting a nice little noise hit here and for this to be an average to decent body of work. However, I was wrong. What immediately picked up my attention was the intense and brooding atmosphere of the opening track, 'Cage Girl / Camgirl', and that was the moment I realized this wasn't going to be just any hyperpop album. The songs are best experienced when they are played ear-piercingly loud. One element that greatly contributes to the album being as good as it is is Jane's voice. It has a very sharp, distinct edge to it and pairs beautifully with the autotune, almost like it's a recorded audio of someone tearfully singing about all of their struggles. 'Lips' is the best song off the entire album, starting off with an extremely deep and noisy edge and heavy songwriting and ending with an explosion of pure shoegaze noise. I got in trouble multiple times for playing the song way too loud. It's insanely cathartic to listen to, and a friend told me it's very 'Claire coded' (Claire is my name). Every time I listen to it, I find new things to appreciate about it, and I hope I will make music like this someday. It almost seems like the album isn't of its time; it has a heavy Deftones-esque sound to me, especially on the track 'Holding a Leech', a track with incredibly soft guitars and reverberated vocals that practically vibrate into the listener's ears. 'Fling' and 'Always Have Always Will' are my other two favorite songs off the album. One is extremely edgy and quite literally sounds heartbroken, and the other is very slow and heavy on the ears and uncannily reminds me of yeule's album 'softscars', which was released just a month before this album. 'Backseat Girl' and 'Idling Somewhere' I consider to be sister tracks because they are the first two tracks I have heard of this album and are also right next to each other in the tracklist. They both possess amazing openings, probably the most memorable off the entire album, and feature amazing songwriting. 'Backseat Girl' especially was a song that helped me in a dark place. The screaming beat drop at the end is probably the second most memorable moment of the entire album, right after the entirety of 'Lips'. Finally, we close off with three of the most heartbreaking songs off the entirety of the LP, 'Census Designated', an incredibly self-hating track which got its own music video shot by none other than Quadeca and has the most ear-piercing, feedback-heavy ending I ever listened to. 'And I bet she's so lucky to have a voice like that, I'm young blood, fresh meat, and I like that' is an insane tear-jerker of a verse. 'Video' is very relatable to me, and I can feel the pain of the lyrics so much. The track is about meeting a person and thinking they are someone to idolize because they did something questionable, only for them to disappoint you once you actually meet them. We finally close off with 'Contingency Song', which I personally consider to be the most bitter and depressing song written in the last five years. It is 'The Downward Spiral' levels of nihilism and hopelessness and the perfect way to end an album like 'Census Designated'. If 100 gecs gave birth to the hyperpop genre and pushed it to the mainstream, then Jane Remover matured the genre and showed listeners that an album can have all the elements of said genre and still have heartbreaking songwriting and shoegaze so heavy it can legitimately be comparable to the likes of 'Loveless'. Apparently, Ethel Cain's music (which I'm also a big fan of) was a big influence on the LP, and it's no surprise, especially considering Cain is also a transgender artist who is subverting modern pop music. Seeing Jane Remover mature as an artist is one blessing, but seeing her mature the genre she set herself with is ten of them.

Favourite tracks: Lips, Fling, Always Have Always Will, Backseat Girl, Video

Least favourite tracks: N/A