#well these lyrics pretty much perfectly lined up!! | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

milgram-tournament · 4 months

Text

MILGRAM Best Song Tournament, Round 2, Match 2 BRING IT ON vs. THIS IS HOW TO BE IN LOVE WITH YOU

Propaganda for both options under the cut!

Propaganda for BRING IT ON:

"Reasons why Bring it On should win:

- Just by starting the song, the instrumentals are BANGER. Like his more rock style is very cool, even better than After Pain’s more mellow style - Arthur’s voice (Futa’s va) had bills due because have you HEARD his singing?? His raspier voice fits Futa so well - It feels so explosive and like a call to action in a sense, which very much matches Futa’s mentality during trial 1. He also wasn’t playing victim like a CERTAIN girl… (jk, love you mu!) - SAA HAJIMEYOU USOTSUKI KARIDA - UNDEAD HEROOOI YES SLAY KING HIS HIGH NOTE HERE IS HEAVENLY - His scream at the end. Oh my god. HE LITERALLY ATE THIS NOTE. AFTER PAIN COULD NEVER. BRING IT ON FTW 🔥🔥🔥" - His range goes WAAAAAY higher than Mu. She would end up like PHG if she even tried hitting any of his high notes in the last chorus /j

---

- The vocals are amazing, those growls are so well done - You’re able to get Fuuta’s crime and motive pretty succinctly, only based on the visuals - But it still leaves a lot up to interpretation, like how he only attacked once in the final fight scene. It lead to some cool theories. - On that note, the game aspects are so cool!! Especially when paired with him going after people online, just good synergy with awesome style! - Fuuta’s scared face after he realizes what he did. The great contrast of other foes simply being knocked out then being met with blood splatter. - The tempo of the song changing with his mood is a really good touch as well. Make the song more chaotic which highlights his character traits well

---

"propaganda for bring it on: the music FUCKS it genuinely slaps so hard listening to it. song style is incredible its perfect for fuutas personality and gamer vibes. also the way the mv frames everything as a game? the only time real blood and real gore happens being when killcheroy dies? the little details of all the usernames, the different monster designs, the generally distorted feel of everything being too lighthearted?

okay i could go on about the mv for hours but lets not. aside from that: the FEEL of the song!!! the vocals!!!! it really feels like fuuta putting his whole heart into it, into this point of view that both blows problems out of proportion and minimises them, and DEEPLY fucking up. my darling little hypocrite gamer boy twitter user. he makes his witch hunt genuinely sound like something that could sweep people up into it. also the instruments goddddd. the guitar and synth the bass and the drums the DRUMS. im relistening to it to write this propaganda and it keeps making me headbang when i should be writing. if you arent headbanging to bring it on you are LYING.

the way the lyrics are written is wonderful too!!!! they feel so brash and brave and powerful and like. cocky about it. and it fits PERFECTLY. its gets someone swept up into it and it FUCKS. vote bring it on im serious. lets go!! a victory march!! dan da dan!!"

Propaganda for TIHTBILWY:

okay so like the thing im most in love with: the VOCALS!!!! this song has an absolutely AMAZING singer and AMAZING vocals!!!! the way the conversational talk-singing lines still feel so musical!!!! the cute cute cuteeeee mahiru voice!!!! it brings you so much energy!!!! its a song sung with so much love!!!! mahirus va brings such an amazing feel to the song with such amazing talk-singing!!!! its very skillfully done and it happens in i love you too!! mahiru songs r the QUEENS of musical talk singing

the silly phone call bit. kurururu~!

the little vocal flourish and the way her voice raises up like an excited exclamation in the final prechorus!! daijoubu nante kirai DA!

its such a fast song but everything flows so well!!!! it makes it feel so bright and cheery and peppy!!

the instrumental is so underrated just LISTEN to that catchy bass line thats so pretty in the verses!!!! no for real even if u dont vote this is how to be in love with you go listen to the bass line in the verses it works to move both the song and the listener forward at mahirus sweeping breakneck pace. and the cute keyboard sounding and synth instruments!!!! its SUCH a danceable song!!!! i cant listen to it without bopping along in my seat

the way the ominous bits are subtly hidden? it all sounds so cute but there are just these Things that she sings that are really kind of concerning and unhealthy when she sings them!! and the veiled desperation to be in her relationship- listening to that and the cheery tone and breakneck, quick song pace, it really does represent mahiru SO well. she throws in all these little bits that just go noooo teehee the relationships just fine!! when it REALLY isnt

i would listen to mahiru talk for hours

the MV!!!!!! HER FASHION SENSE THE MAGAZINE STYLE!!!! the magazine style especially works so well with her character!!!! its so cute and stunning and just looking at it you have a blast. also her birdcage!!!! her birdcage and the bright orange and the pink bars!!!! the way everything desaturates and becomes more sickly looking when she wakes up at the end!!!! its such a happy carefully curated and designed dream and then it drains away!!!! also god all her outfits are stunning. mahiru call me

the way she sings "overheat de~!" cutest thing in the WORLD.

the little faces she makes!!!! godddd shes so expressive

actually the whole songs so expressive!!!! shes putting her all into it!!!! her words have so much expression in them!!!! once more praising mahirus va the way her voice can soften and become bright or subtly desperate so quickly is MASTERFUL control of expression when singing and its so underrated. join me in being insane over miho okasaki delivers her lines. shes such a perfect mahiru.

funniest es cover. hands down. funniest es cover.

this is how to be in love with you is FREE serotonin!!!! free energy right there!!!! this is how to be in love with you sweep!!!!!

---

-The song is so cheerful!! I always feel like dancing and singing when this one comes up in my playlists!! Absolute banger, mood definer, kicking sadness in the shin with those high-heels and then hitting its face with a cute purse -THE HIGH-HEELS STEPPING TO THE BEAT OF THE MUSIC IN THAT ONE SCENE (0:50). SIMPLY ICONIC. NO ONE DID IT LIKE HER. -👠💅👝👗 -She is slaying. Look at her outfits. She put so much effort there. She gave it her all. Absolutely serving. -SUKITTE KIMOCHI WAKATTA TSUMORI? NARA KONO MAMA FUTARI O-VA-HI-TO- DE -The storyline of the mv MAKES SENSE and you can form a COHESIVE TIMELINE OF EVENTS (unlike other unspecified contestants' mvs you know 🙄) -look at herr 🥺 she beby 🥺 all she did was love too much 🥺 we all love mappi don't we 🥺 she deserved more let her win this pleease 🥺 -No medical malpractice happened in the making of this mv 👍

---

I care so much about This is How To Be In Love With You- it's visuals are brilliant in the ways it conveys its themes and narrative. I'm never normal Ever about the "Love as marketing" symbolism that is brought in by the use of magazines. It's a lovely upbeat song but the Horrors are Always Lurking under it, the breakup Ritual line is my Favorite Line cause its so horrifying but its said so casually and its so good oh its so good-

#milgram #milgramtournament #fuuta kajiyama #kajiyama fuuta #mahiru shiina #shiina mahiru

114 notes · View notes

thesparklingwriter · 1 year

Text

@venexus | 𝒏𝒆𝒘 𝒃𝒆𝒈𝒊𝒏𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔

tags: fem!reader, newborn baby, zhongli is getting bullied by his wife and infant daughter, xiao gets a cameo, fluff, fluff, and more (you guessed it) fluff

word count: 1080

an: i have tried to post this five times and tumblr keeps deleting it and i am on the verge of tears and i can’t take it anymore the spacing won’t stop being weird and

Zhongli knocks on the front door a couple of times, holding the warm bundle of joy you’re bringing home close to his chest. He hasn’t relinquished the baby since you woke up from your nap, arguing that you deserved your rest, and as much as you’d like to argue against that, it’s true. You’re exhausted.

“You can just give her to me, you know.”

Zhongli shakes his head. “There’s no need for you to be putting unnecessary pressure on your body. You need to rest, and if I have to force you to do it, so be it.” The baby whines softly, pressing her face into her father’s chest. “See? She’s more than happy here. You should rest.”

You sigh, about to complain some more, when your door is slowly pulled open. Zhongli, being the cautious man he is, suggested that you both stay somewhere closer to doctor Baizhu should something happen during the birth of your child, and hence you found yourself away from home for almost two weeks. You’d come to miss home, even though you were slightly anxious about the doctor not being a few minutes away.

“You’ve returned,” Xiao mutters. He wasn’t entirely overjoyed to be stuck on the detail of house and dog-sitting, but you’d been kind to him, and he figured returning the favour was the very least he could do. “I’m glad you’re well.” he says to you. Despite the fact his voice is somewhat monotone, you know he’s sincere.

“Thank you,” you smile gratefully. “And thank you for keeping an eye on Amber for us.” Xiao seems to become uncomfortable with the earnestness in the air, unsure of what to say, so he nods carefully, excusing himself as you crouch down to pet your dog. She wags her tail excitedly, following you as you try to track your husband down.

Sometimes, you end up missing your baby. Zhongli’s so insistent on making sure you don’t strain yourself that you really only end up holding her if you’re sitting down. Which, you suppose you’re doing a lot since he’s handling pretty much everything else.

You find him in the bedroom, putting her down for a nap. He’s singing softly under his breath—as lullaby he often sings to her that seems to hail from centuries before you.

“You never told me what the lyrics of that lullaby mean,” You say to him, wrapping an arm around his waist as you watch over your baby. He reciprocates, lifting an arm to stroke your hair as he kisses your forehead.

“I’m not sure about the direct translation.” He says carefully. “Something along the lines of growing up strong and annihilating all your enemies.”

“How sentimental.” You sigh.

“How are you feeling?” Zhongli asks you the same question every day, more than once. If it weren’t for the fact that you knew he had reason to be worried, you’d be complaining right now.

You contemplate for a couple of seconds, humming lightly to yourself. “I’m hungry.”

“That’s not what I’m asking.”

“I feel perfectly fine. Amazing even. So now you can let me hold my own baby without being worried I’m going to keel over.”

Zhongli laughs at that. The baby smiles too, something in her dreams bringing fond memories to light.

“See, it’s a sign.” You grin, leaning forward to stroke her cheek. “You should stop being so paranoid, you know. I’m not going to die, I promise.”

“I am not concerned about your death. I am simply concerned about you over-exerting yourself before you have the strength to do so.” He says. “I suppose you have a point though.”

Having a baby at home is vastly different to what you expected it to be. You expected it to be pure chaos, nappies everywhere, laundry piling up to the ceiling, the house trashed from every corner. In reality, it wasn’t that extreme. Yes, maybe you ran the laundry twice as many times than usual, and yes, sometimes little Jingmei would manage to leak through her clothes. But as she got older and you all fell into the swing of things, if anything, having her around was less stressful than life was before her.

“What do you want for dinnner?” Zhongli asks you. Jingmei, old enough now to have the slightest inkling of a personality, babbles thoughtfully in response. Amber hops onto the sofa beside you both, and Jingmei’s babbles become more passionate. “Jingmei, my love,”Zhongli smiles. “Can you please enunciate your words? I can’t understand you.”

You scowl at Zhongli. “She’s trying her best. I can understand her perfectly fine. She’s saying she wants to go to Wanmin restaurant and eat so much she empties your wallet.” You grin at her, pressing your nose to hers. “Aren’t you, baby? We can even go say hello to Tao Tao, can’t we?” Jingmei giggles, the sound of her excitement even making Amber jump up in anticipation. You turn to look at Zhongli with a mischievous smile on your face. “You can’t say no now, Li. Even Amber’s excited.”

“I wasn’t going to.” He chuckles. “I had accepted the proposal the second you said it.”

“Lies.” You smile, standing up to face him head on. “Jingmei and I both know you’re lying.”

“The fact that you’re using a child who can barely speak to further your point lessens its validity. You are aware of that right?”

“You are just one big party pooper. You know that, right?” You hand Jingmei, who has been relentlessly making grabby hands at her father, to him, turning on you heel to go upstairs. “I’m going to get ready. Do not, under any circumstances, tell her any more stories about you thrashing your enemies in the Archon war please. She keeps trying to reenact them with me.”

“I’m training her in the ways of the world. She finds the stories entertaining. That’s all that counts.”

“I don’t find her pulling my hair out entertaining. If you’re going to tell her stories, can you please tell her age-appropriate ones? Like about princesses befriending dragons and becoming doctors.”

“I’m glad you have grand plans for our daughter.” He scoffs. “Ignore your mother.” He says to Jingmei, and she giggles at the mere thought of disregarding your words. “I’m going to regale you with the tale of the time I cleared Liyue of pests.”

#zhongli #zhongli fluff #zhongli fanfic #the collab hub: new beginnings #genshin impact #genshin fan fiction #zhongli x reader

641 notes · View notes

marshallsgirl · 10 months

Note

Wassup, girly?

Listen , I've got this idea on my mind for a week now and I really hope you can write it for me.. Well, eminem and reader are kinda best friends , okay?And the reader is also a well known rapper and sang nothing except rap… But one day on stage she sings the song "Dandelions" with full emotions and looks so happy while singing it… especially at lines like "I see forever in your eyes" or "I'm in a field of dandelions…Wishing on everyone that you would be mine"…Then when she's done she says that this song is a gift from her to "her blond lil' chick " and everyone knows who's that 😀…And after the concert her and eminem are just shy but confess and make up…The end…Sorry if its a lil messy but I dunno I feel like it's cute 😊 when I first heard this song he just came 2 my mind..

If ur not comfortable with it it's okay.

Thank u ♡

If we had talked sooner

Pairing: Eminem x Fem¡Reader

Warnings: 🔞 MATURE READ AT YOUR OWN RISK

Author's note: I want to apologize for not being so active. I hope you guys enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. Shout out to @froggirly who inspired me to write this. Love you all🤍

Song you could listen to while reading this: Dandelions by Ruth B.

¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤❁ཻུ۪۪⸙͎ ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤

"Are you okay?" asked Marshall. We were both alone at his studio waiting for the others to arrive and start recording a song together. It felt really special that Marshall asked me to collaborate with him, but at the same time I was anxious. I'm a rapper too, but my way of coming out with lyrics is way more slower than Marshall's way and I kinda felt like my part wasn't good enough. But actually at the moment Marshall asked if I was okay, I wasn't thinking about the song at all, but I knew he was asking about that. Honestly, I was thinking about him and something I wanted to do.

"Listen, if you still thinking that your part isn't..." he started to say but I interrupted him.

"No, it's not that"

"Then what is it?"

I looked over my shoulder just to make sure that no one was at the door.

"Fuck, y/n. Just say it" he said impatiently.

"Jeez okay, okay. I just wanted to ask you...I want to invite you to my concert tomorrow night". I finally said.

"All that trouble to invited me to a fuckn concert" he complained.

"Man, will you go or not?"

"Of course, babe" he said and smirked.

He calling me babe drives me crazy, but I hope he didn't notice. I like him a lot, but I can't tell him that. I'm pretty sure he is not into relationship kinda of things and I don't want it to be just a one night thing.

❁ཻུ۪۪⸙͎ ❁ཻུ۪۪⸙͎ ❁ཻུ۪۪⸙͎ ❁ཻུ۪۪⸙͎ ❁ཻུ۪۪⸙͎ ❁ཻུ۪۪⸙͎ ❁ཻུ۪۪⸙͎

At the concert

Marshall got a special spot near the stage. I could see him perfectly. He was wearing an all black outfit, black hat, black t-shirt, black cargo pants. What a view! He is hot! Seeing him there looking all good got me wishing he was mine.

"I would like to sing a very special song. It's a little bit different of what u guys are used to, but I really really want to sing that song tonight" Everyone just screamed and started to beg for me to sing.

So I gave the signal and the music started to play.

And I sang, "maybe it's the way you say my name, maybe it's the way you play your game. But it's so good, I've never known anybody like you. But it's so good, I've never dreamed of nobody like you" then I started to walk to get to the part of the stage that was closer to Marshall. "And I've heard of a love that comes once in a lifetime and I'm pretty sure that you are that love of mine 'cause I'm in a field of dandelions, wishin' on every one that you'd be mine, mine..."

I saw him right in the eyes and sang, "And I see forever in your eyes. I feel okay when I see you smile, smile" And I swear I saw him smirk but it couldn't be...right?

Suddenly I felt nervous but I manage to still looking at him and sang, "Praying to God that one day you'll be mine. Wishing on dandelions all of the time, all of the time..." but when I finished that post chorus I felt so shy that I walk away and continue to sing without looking at him. Soon I started to surrender to the song and felt brave again so I looked at him one more time and sang, "Dandelion, into the wind you go. Won't you let my darling know? Dandelion, into the wind you go. Won't you let my darling know that?" And I saw him nod. But that was impossible, wasn't it?

When the song ended my fans screamed like crazy. And there was one of them that was extremely louder and I hear her say: "That one is for Shady!"

Suddenly everyone was shouting "Shady, Shady, Shady"

I felt my cheeks turning red. They knew, but how? For how long do they know? Was I too obvious? Since when? I turned to face Marshall again and he gave me a soft smile and a nod.

"Sure, it was a gift for that blond good looking guy over there" I shouted.

The cameras pointed at him, and everyone screamed even more. And I hear my extremely louder fan again. She yelled: "that's y/n's blond lil' chick!". Everyone laughed at that even Marshall.

❁ཻུ۪۪⸙͎ ❁ཻུ۪۪⸙͎ ❁ཻུ۪۪⸙͎ ❁ཻུ۪۪⸙͎ ❁ཻུ۪۪⸙͎ ❁ཻུ۪۪⸙͎ ❁ཻུ۪۪⸙͎

After the concert

I couldn't meet with Marshall backstage but he made sure to left me a text message saying that he will wait for me at my home.

When I got there I found him leaning against his car. Just like he promised, he's waiting for me. He doesn't see me yet and that's good 'cause I'm too distracted admiring his perfect body. I shake my head to come back to reality just in time because Marshall turns his head and looks at me. He give me a smile. Oh, that smile!

With each step I take towards Marshall, his smile turns to a smirk as he drapes his arm over the top of his car.

"Hey, babe" he said and I pray he keep calling me that. Before I could say something, he kisses me and I melt into the kiss, especially when he grabs my cheeks softly. As he pulls away, he nudges my nose with his own.

"I'm sorry" I tell him softly. My eyes dancing across his face as I wait for his reaction.

"Why are you apologizing?" He asks confusingly.

"I should have told you first in private not in front of millions of people" I confess.

"That doesn't matter. Fuck, I'm sorry too for not telling you how I felt about you before" he confess.

"I like you a lot" I say

"And you wish for me to be yours" he chuckles lightly, "I believe you are the one too". I muster the courage to look at him, relief settling on my heart as soon as I hear him saying that.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner" I apologize again.

"Guess we are both sorry about the same damn thing" He nudges my nose with his, making me giggle as he lets out a chuckle before he licks his lower lip. "I'm sorry." he apologizes again.

"It's okay, I'm sorry too". I whisper

We're moving closer, breaths mingling together before he connects my lips and kisses me hard but slow and passionate. I participate in the kiss as much as Marshall does, moving my lips against his smoothly and following his pace that still stays the same: tender and passionate. His hands cupping my face moving down my neck and getting back to my cheeks. I need his touch. He's leaving an electrifying feeling on my skin.

I'm not sure how but we got inside the house. Now we are in my living room and I'm slowly moving to his lap as I straddle him. Marshall's hands grab my hips, squeezing them slightly as he still kisses me and refuses to pull away. Moving my hips, I grind into his crotch and moan when I feel his bulge. He's not hardening yet, his bulge soft but still pretty obvious from what I feel and see when I look down. Cupping my cheeks, he's chasing my lips for another kiss and I happily obey, letting him explore my mouth some more.

He pulls away to catch a breath, allowing me to do the same but he takes that opportunity to hold me tighter before he's pressing me down onto the couch. I giggling when my body is slowly put down onto my soft couch while Marshall hovers me with a smile playing on his lips. He takes off my clothes exposing my lacy panties and bra. Stretching my legs, I give him much more space between them as he happily takes it and grabs my thighs. He cups my heat over the lacy panties and squeezes. And he smirks, and there's this huge urge to grind into his hand. Marshall kisses me again while he hooks his fingers under my panties and starts to circling my clit.

"Marshall" his name leaving my mouth as soon as he starts stroking my heat.

He's still kissing me slowly and passionately, he say: "y/n, you are so wet" then he keeps rubbing those long fingers all over me.

"Marshall, I need more of you" I gasp between the kisses, not caring how pleadingly I sound. Listening to my pleads, he enters me with one finger which feels amazing, but not good enough.

"Marshall, please more" I murmur against his lips, hearing him chuckle again at my persistence. "Please" I moan grinding into his hand that makes him curse and add another finger. The stretch is stronger now, his fingers moving in and out of me amazingly. When I keep getting greedier, Marshall adds another one and pumps his three fingers with the same pace, making sure he circles my clit with his thumb for extra pleasure. But I need more to be able to cum. Marshall's fingers feel amazing, but the pace isn't enough to make me cum. It still gives me at least some pleasure... However, my pleasure is completely cut off when Marshall pulls his fingers out of me and puts them in his mouth to clean them.

What a view!

He takes off my panties. Cold air hits my core, even more when Marshall grabs my knees and pushes them apart, showing my glistening heat and I see him. Slowly, he licks his bottom lip as he glances at me, giving me a smirk before he plops himself between my legs with his head right there. It took me by surprise when he starts licking a long stripes against my pussy, catching all my arousal to replace it with his saliva as he tastes me. He hums against me, the sound making me shiver as I wait for his next move. He's savoring every second of what he's doing to me. He enters me with his tongue, moving it in and out like he did with his fingers, but this feels different and still so fucking amazing. I moaning and gasping for air.

"Fuck, babe" I moan, his tongue easing out of me as he starts making out with my heat. "How are you so good at this?" I choke out, hearing him chuckle against my pussy.

I feel my body craving for orgasm so much that my legs start to shake but I've to stop myself, dipping my fingers into Marshall's hair to stop him. But he doesn't completely understand my nonverbal request, growling against my heat as he picks up the pace.

"Marshall, stop. I want you." I moan out, almost crushing his head with my thighs.

He stops, lifting up his head and my jaw drop. Doe eyes stare at me, surprised that I've stopped him when he could feel I was almost cumming on his mouth. His hair is completely messy while his face is glistening with my juices and his saliva mixed together. It's naughty, but I love every second of it. I crave him even more.

"I wanna cum around you." I explain to him, chest heaving with harsh breaths as he listens to me and wipes his face with the back of his hand.

"Whatever you want, babe." he says, pecking my inner thigh before he pulls away and sits onto his knees. He stares at me for a moment, eyes seeing much more darker now.

He got up and he starts taking off his clothes, painfully slow but it could be just me i because I can't wait. I need him so much. I want to feel him. I notice his eyes traveling down my body, stopping at my breasts that are covered with a lacy blue bra that match with my panties that are thrown somewhere on the floor. I start to take off my bra. And he gulps visibly, seeing my breasts spilling out of the bra when I finally take it off. It seems to kick him up, fastening his movements before he stands in his boxers in front of me.

"Ready?" he asks, although my hungry eyes for his almost completely naked and beautiful body, I believe says it all. I see him, his tattoos contrasting with his softly looking skin, decorating it and making him look even more hot

He takes a few steps closer to me, leaning down to kiss me again. As he pulls away, he slowly takes down his boxers, exposing hard length that slaps against his stomach. Fuck, I want to touch him, to taste him just like he tasted me. But before my fingertips can even touch his skin, he takes me hand and caresses the back of it with his thumb. Giving me a smile, he shakes his head before he takes a condom and rips it open. I watch his every step, the way he puts the condom until he tugs it down his length to cover it. Glancing back at me, he gives me a faint smirk before he joins me on the sofa and starts hovering over my body.

I'm laying back down and spreading my legs to give him space between them which he gladly takes. My hands explore his chest, caressing his skin there as he leans down and pecks my lips.

He stares into my eyes, not budging or even blinking as he takes himself into his hand and slowly enters me. Gasping, I close my eyes but quick open them because I want to see him. And fuck, what a view! He fills me up. When he's all in, he lets me adjust to his size while he's kissing me.

My arms wrap around his neck, pulling him even closer and signaling that I'm ready, he starts to pull out. His tip stays inside before he enters me all over again. His thrusts are slower, almost romantic as he stares into my eyes. I feel like he's staring into your soul. Marshall picks up at the pace, still not setting it brutal like I expect him to. No, he sets up a smooth pace that makes us both breathless and grabbing each other, all while he steals couple of kisses from me before he hides his face into the crook of my neck.

"I'm sorry," I gasp, "So sorry for not telling you in private" I apologizes pulling him even closer, he hits my spot even deeper and we both groan at that.

"I'm sorry," he tell me back, "I'm sorry, y/n"

"No, you're perfect," I moan. He's rolling his hips and that makes my eyes roll back. "You're so good to me."

I match his pace, giving as much effort as I can to bring both of us an orgasm.

"Marshall," I moan, feeling myself clenching and making it harder for Marshall to move but he makes it work.

"I'm right here" he growls, sweat coating both of our bodies that are on heat. "Cum for me, babe." he tells me, setting even faster pace that makes my breasts bounce and his balls slap against my ass more intensely. He takes that chance to envelope my nipple into his warm mouth as he sucks on it. That's the last drop, the knot in my stomach relaxing as I'm cumming around him. He rides me through it, bringing himself over the edge too and with a couple of more thrusts and me whimpering from overstimulation, he lets go of my nipple and opens his mouth. A growl leaves his mouth before he's cumming, filling up the condom with his seed. He drops his face into my chest, breathing heavily as I coax him with caressing his back. Kissing my chest, he lifts his head up. We both have fucked up expression, but we are smiling like we're both high.

"We both said we were sorry a couple of times. Y/n, you need to know that I'm not angry."

"I know you aren't," I tell him gently, "but still..."

"We are both stupid. If we had talked sooner, we would have known what it's like to have great sex!", his length sliding out of me as we both cringe before chuckle at each other. "Now, let's not talk about this anymore." he tells me, breath hitching when he reaches for a stand of hair and pulls it out of my face.

We kiss one more time.

"Let's take a shower, and order some food" he says, carefully not to crush me as he lifts himself up.

#eminemslimmarshall #marshall mathers #slim shady #the real slim shady #eminem x reader #marshall mathers x reader #marshall mathers x y/n #eminem x y/n #eminem #rap god #eminem pics

145 notes · View notes

opalobviously · 10 days

Text

Me personally, involving the Drake n Kendrick beef?

I'm a full Kendrick fan, West Coast Mfs-but, I can see what Drake was *going* for.

His problem was he was treating this like he was just battling a rapper with less numbers than him. On Paper? this is true, and Drake's strategy for the beef makes sense.

-Respond to Like that with push-ups, a decent hit, clearing out all of his opponents at once except for Kendrick (And, little did he know, Rick Ross n Future)

-troll a bit and goad Kendrick into responding faster so he could slam him (I don't think he went abt this right, and I will elaborate on that in a second)

-after he gets a chance to let his responses out? Killshot. Bring in the heavy hits, the allegations, make it clear you won the beef, and dip, make it clear the smaller artist simply isn't worth more time and effort.

It's overall not a bad strategy....on paper.

But this is Kendrick Lamar.

As Any Avid Kendrick Fan will tell you, Kendrick is a Masterful Lyricist, a pretty deep dude in general, and, above all, a man who is persistent in using his music to push a message no matter what. Beyond the Moral high ground this seems to place him on at times, that simply means he isn't gonna give up. Drake should have expected more bombs after Family matters-in fact, he should have expected a lot. So, I'm gonna be going over how I personally would have done the beef with Kendrick, because at a certain point it was inevitable.

Pushups:

To be perfectly honest, I think Pushups was a great song. It was a decent response to Like that, as well as snapping back at the other people aimed at Drake, like Rick Ross, Future, Metro Boomin, the Weeknd, and I believe Ja Morant, even aiming a light stray at J Cole for dipping. At this point in the beef, it was still up to either side, so I make no changes here.

Taylor Made Freestyle

Definitely what I consider the first Lyrical Fuck Up of the beef. Considering the Allegations on Drake not being a real rapper, being a culture Vulture, and having ghost writers, I genuinely cannot see how he thought using AI voices was a good idea in the slightest, not only of the legendary Snoop Dogg, but of the Late Great Tupac Shakur. In the eyes of almost anyone west Coast, it highlights the fact that you don't give a single solitary FUCK about the culture, much less are a part of it. What I do here, is simply adjust the angle. I still think that dropping Taylor Made is important, but I abandon the AI idea in it's entirety. Instead, I focus much more heavily on the Taylor swift and K dot thing, calling him pussy in as many ways as possible without using AI. Maybe a couple bars along the lines of:

Sniper from the mountain aiming low so I can Pop a Vet Aimed at the king but you missed, now I'm Cocking Back Can't believe some white chick is the reason you ain't Dropping yet She probably make you get her more money for her Private Jet

Reasonable lyrics for a beef like it was at the time I think. Contains a couple double entendres, sounds decent, hits pretty hard, and has the same general intent: Make Kendrick mad, and give him more that he has to respond to.

Family Matters

Family matters is probably drake's best song in the beef, and it makes sense. he had intended for it to be the KILLSHOT, and I am willing to wager that he had at least some parts of it ready as soon as he dropped Pushups, just waiting to see Kendrick's response so he could add something responding to his own song and make it a complete slam. If I'm Drake here, I focus more on the wife beater allegation, just by a little bit. To be clear, how Drake (or his ghost writers?) did it was very good, with a hard hitting quotable line

"When you put your hands on your girl, is it self defense cuz she bigger than you?"

Even my family, all west coast ride or dies, thought Drake got Kendrick when Family matters dropped. It was great, the timing of it, the intensity of it, the fact it dropped same day as 6:16 in LA, it was just awesome.

Then....the real bomb dropped.

Dealing with Meet the Grahams

It was at this point in the beef that Drake was CLEARLY cooked. that was a fucking horror scene. The worst part is that Drake couldn't use the same route: Kendrick aired out his own dirty laundry on Mr Morale. It would be stupid to try and use that angle anyway, Kendrick predicted it all the way back in Euphoria. So, the KILLSHOT didn't work. Here, if I'm Drake, I'm panicked, because a response is needed, but if it's lackluster, that's it. First, deny the allegations of pedophilia IMMEDEATELY (I'm pretending that in this universe I am a Drake, who did not commit anything listed here). The daughter I can reveal as a fake later, let them talk, let hype build up. but the Pedo shit? can't fly, can't let me turn into P Diddy. once that's in place, I spend maybe 2 days working on a final kill shot

The Heart Part 6

My problem with this one is that it felt like he was trying to go out on his own terms when the people clearly did not want that. his biggest fans needed to see him Whoop Kendrick back, not say it's summer vibes time. now, the fake daughter drop? genius if it's true, however, the IMMEDEATE denial of it earlier makes the move have less oomph, so I don't do that myself. also, FOR GODS SAKE DONT BRING UP MR MORALE IDIOT, HE LITERALLY TOLD EVERYONE YOU WOULD DO THAT IN LIKE THE FIRST PART OF EUPHORIA

"Fabricating stories on the family front, cuz you heard Mr Morale

A pathetic Master Manipulator I can smell the tales on you now..."

Exapserated sigh at this Canadian Dumbass

Anyway. What I do is the daughter drop, and deny, questioning the Validity of the rest of Kendrick's claims. Maybe, just maybe, make a hint to Michael Jackson having been Alleged of the same stuff? they never did prove he did it you know, and they straight up patted him down, took him to court, everything. It'd be a decent comparison, because a decent amount of people are still conflicted on whether he did it, even with all evidence pointing to say he did not. After that? idk, but I would personally make a song on BBL drizzy to make fun of Metro Groomin.

ACTUALLY.

that's exactly what I would do.

Make a song on BBL drizzy, dissing Kendrick for affiliating with Metro, of whom just as much if not more proof of grooming tendencies is out as Drake, thanks to those damn tweets (Metro was born in 1993, no matter how you spin it, the earliest of the tweets he was 18, 2011, and the tweet "She may be young but she ready" happens in 2014, when he's 21 years old. concerning to say the least)

"You a hypocrite Dot, Idiot Dot, and above all you a liar. How you shooting at any pervert that lives, but Metro's out the line of Fire?"

and yeah, that's about it.

Kendrick totally won btw, this is a theoretical "What if Drake was ACTUALLY a rapper, not a little bitch boy who uses ghostwriters and AI to do all his work?"

#kendrick lamar #drake #metro boomin

29 notes · View notes

northoco · 2 months

Text

sonadow songs

a thing i’ve been thinking about recently is sonic songs that specifically resemble sonadow

now bare with me because i swear i have a point

the songs i think fit most are both adventure 2 songs, one of which is obvious and the other not at all as it’s a pretty underrated song!!

the obvious one is live and learn! the lyrics just scream sonic, and specifically him being the pov singing to shadow

sonic beats shadow around twice in the game, same for shadow beating sonic depending on if you play hero story or dark story — that second line to me is practically just sonic saying that. life is complicated, ‘tangling you up inside’. one moment the guys on the floor and the next hes towering above him, it goes both ways. right after that we have:

knowing roughly about the pain he’s dealt with and all he’s paid for, even if undeserved. however by following that grief and negative expectation from others he’s practically pulling himself further down, ‘putting him right back where he came’

then it hits with the live and learn which is obviously just the. you know. final kick. however the bridge sort of just beats you when you’re down because johnny what the fuck is this

this is just painful (in a sweet way). to me it’s sonic giving shadow that final hope. the entire rest of the song is pretty aggressive, kind of just yelling to live and learn and get over things but the bridge is such a gentle reminder of why he should do it in the first place. ‘hold on to what if’ aka the what if that shadow will move on from the ark and learn to live. that place sonic is referring to the line before is peace and home.

and then live and learn and shadow fucking dies lmao

but i mentioned two songs!! and that’s because the other song is shadows perspective which is somehow more miserable

this song is none other than supporting me for the biolizard, one of my probably top five sonic songs if not number one. i love it so much it’s so perfect

this song is pretty over looked. you hear it in the biolizard fight but you don’t really listen to the vocals. hell when i first played i didn’t even hear the vocals because i was too busy trying not to fall down the streams and slam my laptop in

the song, unlike live and learn, starts out gentle and soft, and only after the guitar picks up does the first line drop:

after all, it’s what shadow assumes is the final fight. it’s what he thinks is the last thing he needs to do to destroy the threat, hence the desperation.

the verse eventually comes, which could not start harder somehow

now, important. this song could be viewed as a song about maria and his final words to her before he moves on (which you’ll understand when i bring up the next lyrics) and that’s a perfectly good interpretation of it, and probably the intended one.

HOWEVER, it can still be interpreted as a song to sonic, and there will be more on that soon.

anyway, these lyrics are just so good and well sung. the line “i believe in my future, farewell to the shadow” is him accepting the idea of moving on once defeating the biolizard, and believing in what’s next to come via abandoning his past with the destruction of the ark.

‘it was my place to live, but now i need your hand’ the sibling/maria interpretation would be the fact maria died in what shadow thought was his place, and now he needs her support in?? i can’t exactly figure out the last line and it’s tie to maria— WHICH IS WHERE THE JOINT SONADOW INTERPRETATION COMES IN! it was his place to live, it’s his realisation and moving on of his grudges and self + outward hatred. he needs sonics help, and the thing that makes this more fucking painful is the fact it’s a FORESHADOWING OF THE SUPER TRANSFORMATION WHERE THEY REACH THEIR HANDS OUT TO THE SKY TOGETHER.

SHADOW TAKES HIS HAND METAPHORICALLY AT THE FIRST BIOLIZARD FIGHT AND LITERALLY AT THE SUPER TRANSFORMATION.

‘lead me out with your light’ and the line below it to me is what slowly underlines the tie to sonic. he spoke to amy shortly before this fight, and then went straight to sonic, being led out by his guidance to help save the world, the light that he was trying to destroy.

and then the fucking HOLY SHIT THIS PART

this is a straight follow up from the last line before. everything currently IS like an illusion to him, so much is changing and he can barely comprehend its reality.

‘i’ll be losing you before long’ WHICH PLAYS RIGHT AFTER THE LIVE AND LEARN RIFF???? it’s a strong foreshadowing of his death, and the person he’ll be losing is sonic!!! before long!!! it can also be mixed with maria. he’s losing both him and maria by destroying his home and what’s remnant of its present.

the last lines here are what really made me believe this was more towards sonic lmao. ‘i know you are supporting me’ as sonic is currently doing his part in the fight whilst shadow is facing the biolizard. he knows he’s supporting his decision to join his side, and to realise what the right path is.

anyway that’s about it uh shadria and other weirdos dni also go listen to supporting me

23 notes · View notes

its-lovelyhappycollection · 1 day

Text

Has anyone else noticed how much 'this is our someday' completely captures what the show and the band is about?

Allow me to break down the songs lyrics and explain:

'When everyday feels like the other and everywhere looks just the same'

in the show, this highlights what the boys were like in Minnesota, waking up, going to school, making mischief, doing homework and going to work (but that only applies to Kendall).

But in real life, the boys all had a passion for music and entertainment and have done a few cameos in shows and we're waiting for their next job.

When a dream feels like forever and your a face without a name

In the show this line could just relate to James or all the boys in general, James and (seemingly) Kendall wanted to be famous, James with singing and Kendall with hockey while Logan wanted to be a doctor and Carlos wanted to help people, but all of them were just normal boys.

In real life, like I mentioned before, all the boys have a passion for music and entertainment, they've made appearances in shows before, but that was only for a short amount of time and were waiting for their big break.

And maybe now is our best chance, to finally get it right. Just look at the world as an apple and it's time to take a bite

This perfectly symbolizes the opportunity the boys took with BTR, they didn't know how it would turn out, but they still took the opportunity and made the decision of a lifetime.

Someday it will come together, someday we will work it out, I know we can turn it up all the way, (cause this is our someday), someday is what we make it, someday is like here and now, what way what way what way, cause this is our someday

Pretty explanatory these lyrics, we all think 'someday I will achieve my dreams' and to quote James from the show "that someday is today" and that's what this song is about. Embracing that your someday has finally arrived and it's up to you to decide how you do with it.

We all have times, times we wonder will the spotlight shine in me?

With this line, again talking about the show and real life, in the show it was when the boys would get the opportunity to show the world their talents. With Logan it was how good of a doctor he will be, James his singing talent, Kendall with his hockey and Carlos with his desire to help people.

In real life, it was when the boys would finally get the recognition they wanted and finally be able to pursue their passions, both as actors and musicians.

Don't let the waves go and pull us under, we'll miss the opportunity, don't look down or look back.

This comes into play with s4 in the show, and with 1D in real life. In the show, the boys were worried about how with the new rise of boy bands emerging they would be forgotten. But also in the first season were they were dropped by the record company, showing us that yes, there will be obstacles in the way and doubt will be in the way but...

It's not that far to go, cause if we never trap it, we will never really know

The boys continued with their dream, trusting their fans and their fans delivered, even 10+ years later. They didn't know how well they would be received after so long, but they still took the chance and opportunity to come back because like the lyrics said 'we will never really know'

(ignoring chorus as I've done it already)

Oh no, I don't have all the answers, if there is one thing I know for sure, one is good, but four is better

Ok, starting with the show, James originally wanted a solo career, it was all he ever wanted and he got that briefly with Hawk, but he not only realized that Hawk was a jerk, but he also loved singing with his friends, he had more fun singing with his friends.

In real life, all the boys wanted a singing career (yes, I know Kendall had Heffron Drive) but after they joined Big Time Rush, they realized how much fun it was singing together as a group and created a special bond.

As Tanya Chisholm once said in an interview: "in the beginning there was alot of pettiness between them, with who's the star and who's not, now they're like brothers". So yes, this lyric shows the bond between the boys both in the show and the band and what it means to them.

It took some time to get here, but it's better late then never!

Now this lyric shows how far BTR has come, sure, they were well known in 2009-2014, but were overlooked because of 1D, but during their hiatus they all had time to grow individually and find their passions. Now that they've made a come back they've managed to achieve so many things, such as playing at MSG, a true dream come true for them.

So yes, this is our someday' perfectly captures what BTR is all about and it deserves more recognition.

Thank you for joining me in my TED talk of 'this is our someday' where my brain was thinking about this instead of more important things.

Anyways, this is just my personal opinion and I've probably put WAY too much thought into it, but I honestly just had to get it out

#bigtimerush #big time rush #kendall schmidt #james maslow #logan henderson #carlos penavega

12 notes · View notes

probsnothawkeye · 2 months

Text

At midnight Central Daylight Time on Friday, March 29, 2024, @athansmusic released his debut album. Limbo, the album in question, is a story of hurt, addiction, regret, healing, recovery, and content. Over the course of three years, Athan worked to create this album, pouring his entire heart and incredibly personal experiences into each of the songs. I originally intended on doing short form reviews of each song, trying to fit all of my thoughts into a tweet or less; but Limbo deserves far more than that. Each song tells a story and each story has a parallel; to reduce that to two hundred and eighty characters would be a disservice to the album and to you, the person reading this. Before we begin, I should make a few things clear:

Things I am not:

A trained musician

A professional critic or reviewer of any sort

Things I am:

A lover of music

Someone who was deeply moved by this album

With this out of the way, we are ready to dive into the world of Limbo and the stories Athan has weaved into it.

Song 1 - Limbo

The album opens, as you might expect, with the titular track. Limbo immediately gives you the sense of being stuck; stuck in life, stuck in your emotions, stuck in your own mind. “I’ve been stuck here / Stuck in limbo for days” is the line at the heart of the chorus and this sentiment can be felt in every inch of the song. The instrumentals of this song start with a simple beat that grows over the course of the first verse and bursts into a full life in the chorus. Athan has a propensity for voice modulation that works so perfectly with the instrumentals that are being layered. What is especially noteworthy is the way the chorus progresses from one of finality to one of hope. “I don’t think I can / I don’t think I will / make it out of here / Maybe I never can” becomes “I don’t think I can / or maybe I will / Make it out of here / Maybe I can”. Despite this sense of being trapped, being stuck, there is still hope. It’s that hope that will become a thread throughout the album as it goes from one of pain and regret into growth and relief.

Song 2 - Chronic

There are two sides to Limbo. Side A deals with pain and that is seen very clearly in Chronic. As a person with pretty severe depression, I latched onto Chronic right away; it’s the kind of song that reflects exactly what I’m feeling without the song or its creator knowing what I’m feeling. The lyrics portray a sense of listlessness and a lack of belonging that digs deep into the heart and squeezes it from the inside out. “Hold on tightly / to what excites me / Otherwise I might drown, shit, it’s tempting.” I have felt this exact thing multiple times in my life; hell, multiple times in this past week. There is an incredible amount of relatability in Athan’s lyrics– something that clearly comes from his personal connections to the songs he’s writing. You cannot fake that kind of emotion and it is emotion that anyone can latch onto and relate to. Couple that with the slow, almost reverberating beat of the song and you get the masterpiece that is Chronic.

Song 3 - The Valley

The Valley is one of the shortest songs on the album, however that doesn’t stop it from being an emotional punch to the stomach. It’s a song about family, about the pain that family can cause and the ways that it impacts a person. It’s about the excuses that people make for themselves, for their families; how even when you know it is an excuse, you still end up craving it. It’s a song that both minimizes its own pain and allows itself to feel it fully. “And my problems are small / But they’re taller than me”. Two lines that encapsulate an emotion that I cannot name but have felt time and time again; two lines that help drive that punch to the stomach that this song provides. Athan has a way of creating these songs that have a beat to them that doesn’t feel like it matches with the emotionality of the lyrics, and yet it all blends together so well. The Valley is short. But it does so much with its runtime that you forget that it’s a short song.

Song 4 - WhatDoIDo

WhatDoIDo is one of my favorite songs on Side A. It hurts me in a way you might not expect when you listen to it yourself. That’s the beautiful thing about this album; its relatability makes each song hit differently for different people. “Well maybe I don’t know what I need / Maybe I’m running on empty” is a line that hits me square in the chest and pulls thoughts of my current depressive episode. This is different than what it might mean for you, it’s different than what it means for Athan, and yet it still hits all the same. WhatDoIDo is another song with a very heavy beat to it, similar to the reverberation of Chronic. It adds a level of depth to the song that makes it feel like it's dragging you down with it in the best imaginable way. Mix that with Athan’s love of voice modulation and effects that he used in this song and you create something absolutely incredible.

Song 5 - Chameleon

“I've got about / 50 different hats that I have to wear. / One for my mom, one for my job. / One for my friends, one to survive.” Once again I have to applaud Athan for the relatability of his lyrics. The first time I heard this, I paused the song and stared off into space for a minute before restarting the song and letting it hit me again. Chameleon is a song about fitting in, about finding your place in the world and how hard it can be to be yourself. “Who am I without you around? / Maybe I can blend in somehow.” How well do we really know who we are? So much of a person is influenced by those around them; what happens when all of that goes away? What happens when it’s just you? These questions don’t have answers, but Chameleon asks them anyway and puts a fun beat to it while it rips your heart out.

Song 6 - Distance

Distance is another song with an incredibly fun rhythm to it that punches you in the face with the lyrics. I boxed to this song recently and it’s perfect for a high energy/fast boxing session but it also has lyrics that break my heart in half. “I’ve been treading water for so long / It feels like I might just give up” – another set of lines that pulls an emotion I have felt for my whole life right out of my brain when I didn’t have the words for it. This is a song that I pick up on a little more each time I listen; different lyrics will stand out, or different ways that the instrumentals hit will pop to the forefront of my listen. One thing that I always think about is how this song feels like a race. You can feel the distance growing and growing as the race is run but you’re so far behind the song. You’re so far behind everyone else, and that’s what the song is trying to do. Athan has managed to space the chorus and verses in a way that it feels anticipatory, like you’re waiting to catch up to what is being said. “The distance it feels like it’s growing / but I will not grow”; the instrumentals perfectly make you feel that line in the pit of your chest, growing and crashing over you before simplifying during the verses as though Athan can’t keep up with the instrumentals themselves.

Song 7 - Moon

Moon starts out with these lovely and light instrumentals and soft singing that make you feel like it’s a love song until you listen to it. In some ways it is a love song, but the root of the song itself is actually in insecurity, selfishness, and feeling that you aren’t enough for the person you care about. “I’ve been staring at the moon and it feels like / I don’t need you for forever, just for the night / I don’t care if it’s only temporary / I’d rather be happy for a moment of your time” – This section of the song is the chorus and it starts and ends the song as this beautiful mirroring that misses all of the turmoil that lies in between them. There is a point in this song where everything drops and that sense of insecurity and fear and darkness seeps all the way into the lyrics. You may not know this by looking at him, but Athan can scream just as well as any metal artist out there. And you might not expect this song that I described up top to have screaming in it, but it does and it hits so incredibly well. There are a variety of different talents that Athan shows off with this album; screaming just happens to be one. It adds to the depth and darkness of this section before it flips back into the light and lovely chorus that rounds out the song as if that drop never happened at all. It’s a beautiful song that uses its catchy chorus and light beat to lull you into a false sense of security so when everything drops it hits that much harder.

Song 8 - DNR

This is another one of my favorite songs on Side A. It’s one of my favorite songs on the whole album. The first time I saw the title I thought to myself “DNR as in… Do not resuscitate? Or is this going to stand for something else– Nope! Do not resuscitate, cool cool cool.” This is one of the many songs that made me say “Jesus fucking christ Athan” out loud in my room while listening. And yet these darker tones to the song are part of the reason I love it so much. It’s a song about death that doesn’t feel like it’s about death. Sure, the words “Do not resuscitate me” are kind of blatantly obvious in their being about death; but the instrumentals and beat of the song itself are very fun and punchy. It starts out with these lightly strummed guitar notes that pair perfectly with Athan’s gentle singing and then it grows into something that decides it wants to hurt you in the best way. I also need to be a Classics major on main again and talk about the line “I can feel the coins of gold and silver resting on my eyes” because it’s one of those lines that just constantly sticks in my brain. Athan is ready to pay the ferryman to take him to the Underworld; it’s a nice little reference that makes me so happy I have cast him in a mythology themed podcast.

Song 9 - Break

It’s time to talk about horns! As in the instrument, not as in the thing on animals/demons/etc. You don’t expect them to show up and when they do you’re there like “Hell yeah horns!” Now you may be wondering why I am bringing this up now and all I will say for now is: it’s about the parallelism. But until we get to that part, let’s talk about the lyrics for this song because they do severe emotional damage to me. As I’ve said many times at this point, Athan is absolutely masterful at lyrics and relatability; this song is no exception. This whole album has a tone of parallelism from Side A to Side B, but this song in particular also parallels itself nicely. The first verse serves as a groundwork for the second verse to flip in answering. “Well I think you may have had it right / I’m tired of living in this life” versus “Well I think I may have had it wrong / Maybe I’m right where I belong”; “Mentally, I don’t think I can feel anything” versus “And yet I feel everything”. The way Athan’s lyrics speak to each other always ends up squeezing my heart in ways that are hard to put into words. Which might seem surprising given how long this is. The emotionality of it all feels so real because it is real. Athan has said time and time again that this is a very personal project for him and it bleeds into every second of the music in the best way imaginable.

Song 10 - Persephone

We’ve reached what might be my favorite song on the album. It’s definitely my favorite song on Side A. This song is slow and soft and dark and beautiful; it is the musical equivalent of the John Everett Millais painting Ophelia. “Lay me down in the flower bed / Let it pull me undertow / I feel the darkness close around me / But I kinda like it though”. Something I haven’t talked about much yet is Athan’s vocals. Not only is he writing absolutely stunning lyrics and putting together these songs with a wide variety of different feels to them, he’s also an incredible vocalist. His vocals on Persephone are part of the reason I love this so much; there’s a point where his voice breaks just the slightest bit and it makes the song feel so much more real and poignant. It squeezes my heart in the best imaginable way. This song also includes a medley of all of the songs on side A which is absolutely stunning. The way the medley allows the different songs to speak to each other and in response to each other creates this beautiful picture of everything that came so far.

Song 11 - Diáleimma

We’ve officially reached the end of Side A! This song is the shortest on the album and also one of the most beautiful in my opinion. It represents the transition point between the two sides of this story; from pain and loss and regret into growth and love and recovery. The through line of the song is this idea that “I gotta be a better me”. The song itself is slow, almost reflective in the way it’s presented; it’s as if the song itself is thinking about how it is being perceived and is striving to be better. Diáleimma closes this chapter of the story, turning the page for us as it does so.

Before we move on to Side B, we’re going to take a brief moment to talk about the album art for Limbo. It was painted by NataliesDreaming, who also happens to be Athan’s wife. Natalie is an incredibly talented artist and has produced an absolutely gorgeous cover for the album. The colors used feel like an extension of the songs themselves, tapping into the hope that grows throughout the album. Natalie’s work also allows you to feel the movement of falling; everything about it is absolutely stunning. This has been the brief intermission to talk about the album art and also to say that Natalie is super cool. Back to the album!

Song 12 - AmIDoingThisRight

Athan opens the second half of the album on an unanswerable question: AmIDoingThisRight? As we discussed previously, this is an album in parallels. If Limbo is about being stuck, AmIDoingThisRight is about trying to get yourself unstuck and the fear that still comes with that. You never know in life if you are doing things right, if the decisions you are making are the ones that you need to make. The bridge of this song lives rent free in my mind: “Cause I don’t think I appreciate everyone in front of me now / And I don’t think I recognize everything that’s detrimental to my health”. The voice modulation Athan does on that part specifically is so fucking good.

Song 13 - Pocket

Pocket is one of my favorite songs on Side B (You’ll be seeing this phrase a lot coming up because I love so many songs). It’s a song about addiction and relapse which punches into that idea of relatability again. As someone who has struggled with self harm (albeit in a different way than Athan has) this song reached into my heart and pulled me back to my relapse, but in a way that felt healing rather than concerning. It’s a sad song that disguises itself as a soft song but it’s so beautifully done. The chorus makes me feel every emotion under the sun: “I feel so low / I swore that I’d let it go / It’s not a broken promise / I don’t know, I found it in my pocket babe”. This song feels so close to my heart in ways I cannot explain so I won’t try to. I will simply tell you that this song is beautiful and heart-squeezing.

Song 14 - (Good) Goodbye

Athan shared the context of this song and it punched me in the face. This song parallels The Valley and takes that song about family to a more heartbreaking level. One of my favorite lines from this song is “I’m so scared that my last memories / Will be made from my bad days”. Again, it’s about the relatability; that fear is very real, especially when dealing with family while depressed. The pain from Side A still stays in Side B, it just gets grown around and expanded upon to let the hope into it. (Good) Goodbye works very well with this idea; it’s a song that hurts but also leaves room to heal.

Song 15 - Feel It In My Chest

Another one of my favorite songs on Side B! It is the first song on the album to make me cry; if you know me, you know that that is surprising since I cry at most things. “But your soul is destructive / And you’re gonna end up alone” did lasting damage to me personally and I did cry about it. Despite that, this song is hopeful and full of love. It parallels WhatDoIDo and the answer to that question appears to be: you love anyway. “Feel it in my heart / Feel you in my soul / Held you in my hands / The greatest thing to hold”. The first half of the album feels like someone struggling on their own whereas Side B feels like someone learning how to open up and ask for help. Feel It In My Chest feels like opening up despite the fear of it all; the fear of ending up alone doesn’t outweigh the love that can be found with someone.

Song 16 - Concealer

Concealer is one of my favorite songs on the album. It also punches me in the chest in ways that make me cry. This song parallels Chameleon and both songs are about the masks that people put on. Where Chameleon asks how to be someone without the influence of another person, Concealer asks how much of yourself do you need to hide to get help. “I’m struggling / Under the weight / Well I don’t know how much more I can take. / Could fade into the ether / Or maybe I’ll wear concealer now”. The way Athan sings “I don’t know how much more I can take” haunts me in the best way possible. It’s raw and real and it hurts so incredibly. The instrumentals on this are light and soft so the weight of the lyrics can fully sink into your bones. It’s a beautiful song that makes room around the pain to facilitate growth.

Song 17 - Growing Pains

Growing Pains has sections of whispering which honestly make me uncomfortable but in a good way. It’s partially the misophonia of it all, but it’s also just the pain of it all. It is, as it says, growing pains. It’s the growth that Concealer made room for, the space needed to heal and become more. “Why the fuck am I comparing / All the lights in the distance to yours? / You’re all I need” – Remember how I mentioned the idea of Side B being about learning how to ask for help? This song helps to dig into that idea; it’s a form of growing. The instrumentals of this song are light and airy and a little spacey; I’m fully obsessed with them.

Song 18 - Inside

The parallelism between Moon and Inside is some of my favorites. Moon is a sad song disguised as a love song; Inside is a love song disguised as a sad song. “Well maybe it’s supposed to hurt / This love it feels like work / But fuck it I know; it’s worth it to grow / Into the dirt”. This song is enhanced by the fact that Natalie (the aforementioned artist and also Athan’s wife) is also featured on the track. Athan has said that this is the first duet they’ve recorded together and it’s absolutely gorgeous. Their voices compliment each other so nicely and Natalie has a lovely singing voice. You can feel the love that they have for each other in the song, even in the sadder lyrics of it all. This brings me back to the parallelism: Moon is about something temporary, something that is thought not to last. Inside is about someone who has stayed, someone who will stay and will help and will always be there. It brings the hope back into this story because it proves that people stay. That help can be given.

Song 19 - Motionsick

This song has a lot of religious symbolism that I fully missed until Athan mentioned that it had religious symbolism. And once I had that context, all of the plays on words and phrases were just. So incredibly well done. “Why don’t I know you / Why don’t I know you anymore? / Why, why, try? / I fight this devotion Feels like I’m motion sick” – You might look at that and go “Pine, that’s pretty obvious isn’t it?” To which I say yes, it is, I just missed it because me and religion haven’t exactly gotten on very well. This also has a parallel I love with it’s Side A counterpart DNR: “I’m throwing punches / Battle what’s inside of me” in DNR which becomes “I’m boxing with my shadow but I keep on landing punches / It seems I like to bruise” and this does things to my brain that I cannot stop feeling.

Song 20 - Bend

And we have reached the other contender for my favorite song on the album! This is my favorite song on Side B for sure, but I cannot figure out if Bend or Persephone is my favorite. Bend is such a hopeful song; it’s bright and beautiful and we’re back to the horns! Athan played the horns for Bend and they are always always in my mind. He didn’t play the horns on Break (this song’s counterpart) but that’s okay because he has played the brighter version of the horns and I’m obsessed with them. This song rounds out that idea of learning to ask for help even when– or perhaps especially when– it’s difficult. “Opening up doesn’t come easy for me / For me now / But I gotta learn how / Cause I don’t think I can help myself up tonight” – a line that perfectly encapsulates that idea. Part of the reason this song ends up feeling as bright and hopeful as it does is because it tells you that when you ask for help it will be given– “Oh, I know that it might have been a bad fall / But you’ll be there to catch me at the bottom after all”. This song has only been in my life for a week but it has made a home in my heart that it is never going to leave. It means so much to me already and it’s absolutely gorgeous.

Song 21 - ESC

ESC has a very space-y vibe that feels like it is built for escape. The entire song feels like it is floating and then the lyrics pull you back down to earth again. It’s one of the shorter songs on the album, but it has a gentle beauty to it that leaves it lingering in my mind. “And I’ll fall / Down in insecurities/ I; I’m buried in shit surrounding me” is another one of those lines that really does things to me as someone who has been depressed for most of my life. That’s one of the most beautiful things about Athan’s music: short, beautiful lines that can make anyone feel connected to them.

Song 22 - Telos

And we return to the line introduced at the end of Side A: “I gotta be a better me”. Where in Diáleimma it feels like a judgement, like an impossible command, in Telos it feels like it’s something that is just around the corner, almost within grasp. Telos is bright and full of life as opposed to the darkness of Diáleimma. They compliment each other so well– as was Athan’s design. It also includes another medley of things from the entire album and it’s incredibly fun. It’s the perfect way to round out the main portion of the album– it closes the story and feels like a celebration of the whole album. And it’s an album very much worth celebrating.

Song 23 - Chronic (Piano Version)

You get a brief reprieve from my ridiculous amount of words since this one is a piano cover. It’s a very beautiful version of the song though.

Song 24 - Intertwined (Acoustic)

This is an acoustic version of one of Athan’s older songs. It has beautiful instrumentals and lyrics that feel like they grew into some of the songs that are on the album as a whole. Athan didn’t put the lyrics on Bandcamp so I can’t pull examples for you but trust me they’re good.

Song 25 - Chronic (House Version)

There’s not much that I can say about this version that I hadn’t said about Chronic originally. But it is a fun additional version!

Song 26 - Hallelujah (feat. The Grotto)

This is one of my favorite versions of Hallelujah that I have ever heard in my life. The style is different from the other songs on the album, but fits perfectly into the music that Athan did for his podcast The Grotto. The Grotto is a liminal horror podcast about grief and it is absolutely incredible. The reason that this song is listed as ‘feat. The Grotto’ is partially because it’s Athan using that style of music but also because he included some of his screams from The Grotto in it. Don’t look too closely at why he was screaming. It’s not important. But this version of the song– because of the style that it’s done in– feels so unique and has a depth to it that can only be achieved in this medium. Athan had originally released it for The Grotto patreon and I listened to it after a bit of an emotional breakdown. It is as close to a religious experience as I am capable of experiencing. Hallelujah is the only cover Athan has on Limbo– he does more covers for The Grotto which are also excellent. Of all of the covers that he could’ve included, this one feels like the perfect fit. It mixes with the content of the songs Athan has written so well and showcases another style that he is able to pull off.

Song 27 - Bend (Acoustic)

Athan called it the acoustic version but I think of it as the silly version. There is a levity to the song that is palpable– it feels like a test run of the song but in the best way possible. It also gives a bit of insight into what the process of creation was like for Athan. In the original version of Bend, there is the line “I don’t think I will reach thirty if I’m lucky now”; the acoustic version follows up with Athan laughing at the fact that he’s much closer to 30 than he was when he wrote that. “I’m so glad to be alive”, a small little bit of this version but such a big change from the original words that were written. If you couldn’t tell by the amount of words I’ve put into this, I’m also glad Athan is alive. He’s written absolutely incredible music that he has shared with the world despite (or perhaps because of) the intense emotional weight of the content.

Limbo is an album that longs. It grieves. But it also hopes. It hopes so much and shows that healing and recovery are possible. Athan spent three years working on Limbo and now it’s here; it exists in the world to be listened to and shared and written about and loved. This album has so much heart to it. The lyrics are beautiful, the instrumentals brilliantly crafted, and the vocals are stunning. It is an album that deserves to be spoken about in depth. It’s an album that deserves your time and attention. As far as debut albums go, this album showcases so much of what Athan can do while still leaving room for growth and new ways for him to surprise and delight anyone who is listening to his music. It also punches directly into the heart in the most amazing way, letting you know exactly what he can do with music moving forward. I feel very fortunate to be able to listen to this album and to know that I will be following along with whatever else Athan will be doing next. I’m also fortunate enough to get to collaborate with Athan on projects– he’ll be in my next podcast and I will also be paying him to do music for the show. Getting to work with someone so talented is a wild feeling, but I’m so excited for it.

Thank you for joining me on this very long, very in depth review of Limbo. I hope you’ve enjoyed it and I hope you enjoy the album!

#I may have gone a little more feral than intended with this #Several thousand words more feral #This is five thousand words #this album is just that good #athansmusic #he's the dude who did The Grotto!#pine throws thoughts into the void of tumblr #im pinning this because i need everyone to listen to this #long post

13 notes · View notes

prof-ramses · 3 months

Note

Hopping back online to share a Charlie and Mammon headcanon.

Now, I know the out of universe reason why the Loo Loo Land jingle contains “I have a dream/I’m here to tell” was a case of VA shenanigans that Viv decided to put in the show, but I had a neat idea for the in-universe reason why.

Basically, my idea is that the verse originated from when Charlie was pretty young and first getting into music. Naturally, her entire family were very supportive of this interest and eager to share their musical tastes and knowledge with her, with them eventually setting up a sort of rotation wherein Lucifer, Lilith and the Sins took turns giving her music lessons. One fateful lesson with Mammon on how to properly rock out led to him helping her brainstorm her own lyrics and melodies for the first time. After a lot of trial and error between Charlie’s inexperience and Mammon’s tendency to just riff on the works of others, the two came up with the iconic line and melody… without writing any other lyrics or harmonies to go with it. Mammon would eventually figure out a use for it, and while he will swear up and down that its just to promote his crappy amusement park, it’s really a way to keep that memory alive and going while sharing it with others… for a price, naturally.

Continuing from the above, Mammon has rather mixed feelings regarding Inside of Every Demon is a Rainbow. On the one hand, he’s overjoyed that his niece has taken something he helped her to create and used it to voice her dreams and convictions with every ounce of passion in her body. On the other hand, he (and likely the other Sins as well) isn’t that enthused about her ideas for rehabilitation given how it could affect the propagation of the sin he embodies. On the other, other hand, he can’t help but listen to and him along with the opening of the song as it warms his withered, old heart. On the other, other, other hand, Mammon can’t help but feel a little upset that Charlie didn’t come to him to help produce the song (and monetize it).

Sorry for for the wall of text, I’ve had this idea rattling around in my head for a while and I’ve been too busy to share it.

There is absolutely no need to apologies for something like! This, without hyperbole, captures exactly what I love about Mammon.

The lyric being used because of both his connection to Charlie and his sin-centric mindset, like the other sins.

Mammon, at least to me, values the feeling of a job well done as much as he values money and this captures it perfectly.

The way Lu Lu World is a passion project for Lucifer, Loo Loo Land at least plays host to a passion project of Mammon's.

The thought of little Charlie messing around with uncle Mammon in his music room/ recording booth is so wholesome, I adore it! Their dynamic has so much potential and exploring it is always fun. Any more discussion of it is more than welcome here!

#hellaverse #helluva boss #hazbin hotel #hb Mammon #helluva Mammon #hellaverse Mammon #hh Charlie #hazbin Charlie #hellaverse Charlie #hh Lucifer #hazbin Lucifer #hellaverse Lucifer #Ramses Answers #Mammonposting

19 notes · View notes

brucewaynehater101 · 1 month

Note

Thoughts on Frozen Pines by Lord Huron being RR!Tim’s theme song?

I’ve been obsessed with this song for a few months and only really realized how well it goes with Red Robin. At least some of the lyrics, I’m not smart enough to connect everything 😭

Obv the vibe doesn’t fit him, but the words??

“And I look up to the sky / And I know you’re still alive”

“On the night you disappeared, oh if I had seen it clear / but a strange light in the sky / was shining bright into my eyes”

“Oh I don’t want to be the only one living / when all of my friends are gone”

Thank you for the song rec! It's been added to one of my playlists ^^

I do really like the lyrics and how they could connect to Tim's RR run. Not sure if you were asking for a song analysis, but that's what this is going to be :)

The song analysis is not by what the song intended, but just how it can fit Tim.

"Deep into the night with the moonlight as my guide, I go wander through the pines and make my way to nature's shrine."

When the song references pines, mountainside, and more location imagery, I'm taking it to mean a reflection of Tim's mind. He's alone, in the woods, at night. Moonlight, Bruce, guides him.

Nature shrines are typically stone structures thought to hold gods, spirits or "their statues, symbols, holy objects, or relics are enshrined." At least that's what Google says. I think that perfectly fits the cave Tim travels to that finally proves, without doubt, that Bruce is alive. Bruce, in this, would be Tim's guiding spirit and the shrine holds the relic of his mentor.

"And I look up to the sky, and I know you're still alive. But I wonder where you are. I call your name into the dark."

Throughout RR, Tim talks a ton about Bruce. He misses him and wants him home. I think these lyrics would capture the scene where Tim, after defeating Ra's and being pushed out a window, says he knows Bruce will proud of him.

"I wake up in the morning, oh, and I don't know where I've been. All alone on a mountainside, and I'm huddled in the wind."

Imagine this as him waking up after Dicm caught him. He thought he was going to die but didn't. I bet Tim is trauma repressing his RR run. He was alone, with no support, as he desperately tried to protect himself against the "wind." He wanted his dad and crossed many lines for that end.

"And it feels like I've been away for an era, but nothing has changed at all."

Tim changed. He went through absolute hell for his end, and he returns to Gotham being the same as always.

"And it feels like I've been with you, oh, but what did we do, and where have you gone?"

Bruce, though the signs he left behind, was "there" with Tim, but not really. Tim crossed lines he never would have if Bruce hadn't left.

"On the night you disappeared, oh, if I had seen it clear, but a strange light in the sky was shining right into my eyes."

Tim probably wishes he could've stopped Bruce from disappearing. He probably wishes he could have seen the signs. Yet, he wasn't there for that battle. He had his own responsibilities, Gotham (and the Bat signal being the light), that distracted him.

"There was no one else in sight. Just the endless frozen pines, but I wonder all they know. 'Cause they don't die and they don't grow."

Tim was alone (pretty much) for his RR run. You can tie the pines to Ra's with this line, or you could use it as symbolic references to Tim's mental state. Tim, alone, in nature. The pines, perhaps the impressions of his mentor, are endless. Yet, he's not done learning from Bruce. He's stuck with what he has of Bruce until he saves his mentor.

"I am ready to follow you even though I don't know where. I will wait in the night until you decide to take me there. 'Cause I know I don't wanna stay here forever. It's time to be movin' on."

Tim is following the signs Bruce leaves behind. He is willing to tank his reputation (not really his fault) and relationships for this end. He doesn't want to be without his dad. If that means giving up Robin, that's what he will do.

"Oh, I don't want to be the only one living. When all of my friends are gone, I will be waiting for you on the other side of the frozen pines. I'm gonna find a way through. There's another life beyond the line."

Tim has lost so many people. Does he have to lose his second dad as well? He doesn't want to be alone. He'll wait for Bruce to return, but he'll go through the pines to get there. Bruce will need to meet him there, but his dad is there. His dad will meet him if Tim is able to save him.

Anyways, I didn't flesh out the pines metaphor enough, but hopefully that covers it. I'm sure my previous lit teacher would be ashamed of me, lol. This was a lot of fun!!! Thanks for the thought and song ^^

#dc comics #dc universe #tim drake #dc red robin #thank you for the ask!!!!

13 notes · View notes

allthefoolishdreams · 5 months

Note

hi! i hope you're well! for the ask game - 1, 10, 15, 18, 19, 21, 26 and 30? <33

(this is jeonghoneyss btw, i'm not sure if i mentioned before haha)

hi!! thank you, i am doing well, i hope you are as well!! <3

What’s something new that you tried in a fic this year? How did it turn out and would you do it again?

Something new I tried this year was non-linear narrative (in my minchan divorce fic), I've always loved non linear narratives since its an interesting way to tell a story. I think so far its turning out well! although it is based on a story so that did help make it easier. Either way, I would absolutely love to write more non linear narratives if I come up with an idea that it'll work best with

10. What fic made you feel the happiest to work on?

Honestly? I don't know! Out of the ones posted this year, I think maybe the superchan fic might have been my happiest to work on. I do know working on you are strange always makes me pretty happy as well (when i'm not hit with writer's block)

15. Rec a fic you wrote or posted in 2023

I have only posted 4 fics this year and I know you have read 2 of them, so I'll just rec the other two: chansung fic (which is angsty and about commitment issues and complex feelings regarding relationships but i enjoyed writing) and this minchan fic (which is a bob's burgers au and just overall a silly and fun time)

18. What was the hardest fic to title?

without a doubt it was my spidey minlix fic, I just didn't know what to call it even when I had the first chapter completed already which is unusual for me because by the time ive written that much I have title ideas already. I'm not sure if you read the author's note but i did almost title it "spider-boy (king of thieves)" which is a taylor swift lyric because it fits far too perfectly but i decided to search it on ao3 and saw that a lot of the fics using that as a title were spider-man aus which made me scrap the idea so fast. I ended up scrolling through Black Cat and Spider-Man panels + looking up Black Cat quotes for inspiration and decided that i really liked the line ""You are strange, my love. I guess that's why I find you so irresistible." and shortened it because I thought the quote would be such a fitting line for minlix considering they are both strange (affectionate) <3

19. Share your favorite opening line

if I keep it to fics I posted this year, I think my favorite would be from my chansung fic: At a young age, Jisung learns just how easy it is to pack up your life and leave it all behind.

I feel like it fully captures the main vibe of the fic

Also, here's one for fics I've written this year and not posted. I'm cheating here by giving several lines but here's the opening for my jilix songwriting fic because I really like the opening paragraph:

The first time Jisung meets Felix, he’s struck by how gentle and kind he is. He’s mesmerized by his voice, like everyone else is; the deep, smooth tone and accent. The clumsy way he stumbles over his Korean in a way that makes it obvious he’s still learning. And he’s especially mesmerized when he starts to show off his vocal abilities, the range he’s capable of. It’s something else entirely. Perhaps, more importantly, he’s mesmerized by his bright grin despite how prickly Jisung is towards him, which isn’t necessarily anything personal, he’s prickly towards everyone. Unlike the others though, Felix brushes it off and continues to ask questions like he doesn’t genuinely mind how closed off Jisung is; he's never annoyed or scared of him. All while offering him bright smiles each time they interact. And it’s a beautiful smile.

21. Share your favorite piece of dialogue

I can't think of any off the top of my head. I do think a lot of my favorite dialogue I've written is from you are strange, especially the minho and felix conversations when they're bantering in their respective alter egos, it's always so fun for me to write. Their dialogue in their civilian life is very good to me too, but I don't think I can choose a favorite. I also remember enjoying the group discussion from chapter one when they're discussing Spider-Man since it was so fun to write

26. If you had to choose one, what was THE most satisfying writing moment of your year?

I don't think I have any specific satisfying writing moment, but I guess seeing my word count on ao3 go up so much just within the year was pretty satisfying to me especially since like i mentioned i only posted 4 new fics

30. What’s something that you want to write in 2024?

I'm not gonna lie, my goal is just to finish all of my wips. But I do want to write the batman!chan fic thats been brewing, I havent started since I know it'll become a monster of a fic and I'm trying to prioritize finishing my current superhero aus before starting a new one lol. which reminds me, I have Thoughts on other superchan side stories, other than the felix one so thats also on the list, so far nobody has pointed out the Minho (or Hyunjin) name drops in chapter one of superchan which goes along with my thoughts regarding the au. Another thing I want to write is that seunglix christmas fic I mentioned before, I'm thinking of writing it out in advance for next december

Also, not going to lie, all the descendants talk makes me want to dabble into fic for it but im not sure yet. We shall see!

(thanks for the ask <3)

#jeonghoneyss #��; you seek information

13 notes · View notes

wolfkitty42 · 8 months

Text

My Thoughts On The 2023 HoYoFair.

Wow. This year was full of utter gems. I'm just going to link a couple of the ones I especially enjoyed, and put my thoughts on them below.

youtube

I was extremely hyped up for Shadows in the Sand. It's always been a quest I enjoyed, and Jeht is by far one of my favorite npcs. (Although I hope some day she won't just be an npc... Make her playable, Mihoyo!) While I felt like the short was a little rushed, it was still a wonderful tribute to the quest. I love the reveal at the end with Jeht removing her mask. It was also nice to see Lumine!

youtube

I was also very hyped up for Times Changed after seeing teaser images for it. I adore Lumine's new outfit! I didn't really enjoy the short that much, but I admire the quality of the animation. If you're looking for Genshin fan animations to watch, try this one!

youtube

When I saw PROGENITOR: Albedo had gotten a second episode, I was thrilled! For those who haven't seen any of this series, I highly recommend checking it out. Here's hoping we'll see a third episode next year!

youtube

I actually only got onto the stream right before Riptide started. I love this song! The animation is beautiful and I think the singing and lyrics fits Childe's personality very well. Check it out!

youtube

Writing on the Wall is genuinely one of the most amazing songs I've ever heard. Up until hearing this, I have been a Kaveh hater. Sorry! Haikaveh just didn't really appeal to me that much, and... That was pretty much all of the widespread Kaveh content I had seen. I knew Kaveh had more nuance in his character, but I felt very unmotivated to look into him.

That being said, this song helped clarify what I knew about him. I started crying halfway through the song. (And okay I'm sick with a cold so my eyes are already leaking 24/7, but still!) Writing on the Wall perfectly captures the feeling of losing motivation to finish your art. At least for me, I used to often find myself making paintings for friends. This became incredibly demotivating over time because I felt like I had to perfect details and I lost the sense of fun in drawing. Over the past year and a half, I've been trying to draw for myself more.

This song spoke to me so much. The lyric about the architect remaining inside their buildings especially stood out to me. You can see an artist in any of their works. Even if there's no written signature, every stroke and line is a signature in itself.

So... Am I converted to being a Kaveh fan now? Honestly, I'm not sure. That being said, I do have a c6 Kaveh... (cough cough Baizhu pulls x3). Maybe I'll finally try building him.

#kaveh #hoyofair #genshin impact #Youtube

18 notes · View notes

myotomebiaseslivehere · 11 months

Text

Infinite Blue Theories

Alright, we got the green light on theory-posting, so it is a-ok to whip out my corkboard and talk about some theories I have about Infinite Blue. After playing through the Infinite Blue demo several hundred times and basically researching my little heart out, I've been left with some thoughts and theories that I want to throw out into the world to see what other people think. Let's start with the stuff that has caught my eye first:

Trailer Lyrics:

Tobias: "Feel the weight, the pressure to win. A wink, a nudge, a threatening grin."

Rory: "And one more job, that's what they all say."

Brooklyn: "Take it from the boss, (with Alexei), your loss is their gain."

Milo: "Every scrape, every scrap won't be clean."

Rory: "That's exactly why you gotta be mean."

Leo: "Before you know it, you're swept in the tide."

Tobias: "No choice but to let it ride."

K: "I've heard enough of these useless excuses. I know your fruitless abuse of the truth is..."

Several of the main six: "Respect the hustle."

My big questions:

Who are the main six really?

This one is difficult to answer because even though we know quite a bit about the main boys from the demo and asks (occupations, hobbies, ages, etc.), there is also a lot we don't know about them as well. With no information, my gut instinct would be that they're all just perfectly normal dudes who somehow got mixed up with this app business, but all of the stuff listed above makes me pause. In the last chat of the demo, K pops in and says to the MC: "Did you forget the kind of people that you're talking to?" When you combine that with the fact that the lyrics of the trailer song mention "one last job" and "respect the hustle", it seems to indicate that the main six have secrets or perhaps are into some not-so-great activities. This leads me into a couple trains of thought:

Perhaps the main six are in on some kind of con or heist together? It would put a lot of the song's lyrics into context and depending on if K is also in on the con/heist, it would also put his comment into context as well. If we look at the group, it's a pretty good Ocean's 11 set-up: Brooklyn has money and prestige; Tobias has money and fame; Milo has access to loads of info through the security feeds; Alexei is incredibly smart and has access to scientific equipment/possibly classified information; and Rory and Leo? Well, they don't quite fit, but both work in common gathering places that would potentially make them good at gathering secrets? If we're running with this theory, maybe the heist is set to take place during the big storm that's been heavily foreshadowed and meeting and/or falling for the MC throws a wrench in the boys' plans? I'm not 100% sold on this theory, which leads me to theory

Maybe the main six are being blackmailed by someone or multiple someones? This could go with the heist/con theory, but they could also be being blackmailed for other things (money, information, favors, etc). It would fit with the reluctance I think several characters have in the trailer song. The blackmailer could be K, but I could also see the blackmailer being someone different on each route as well. If it is someone different on each route, where does that leave K?

Who is K and what is K's relationship with the boys and/or the MC?

K is a bit of an enigma. At the moment, we don't know much about him beyond the fact that he wears glasses, like sweets/candy, and he has access to the same chat room as the main boys, if the demo is any indication. He also knows who the boys are, confirmed by his chat in the demo where he mentions seeing all of them throughout the day, but none of them happen to notice him.

I want to circle back to the line that K says to the MC at the end of the demo: "Did you forget the kind of people that you're talking to?" and his line during the trailer song: "I've heard enough of these useless excuses. I know your fruitless abuse of the truth is..." What does this mean exactly?

To me, it seems like K may either be their employer in this hypothetical heist or have a vendetta against the main six. I'm leaning towards the latter. He seems to alternate between treating them with contempt (trailer song) and watching them analytically (him commenting on the main six joining in the scavenger hunt by saying "This will be interesting").

An alternative to being a blackmailer or having a vendetta could be that K is running some kind of social experiment involving the boys and this app? That would fit with his analytical nature and why he seems to be keeping a distance from the boys (better to observe the experiment from a distance!). Also, worth noting that he says "I suppose it's more interesting this way" in reference to MC getting closer with the boys. Very behavioral scientist of you, K. 🤔

Last guess: Maybe K is some kind of investigator with a grudge against the main six? No evidence for this one per se, but I think it would be neat and could work.

How does the MC fit into this? It's possible that they're just a random person who got caught up in this completely by chance, but I have another theory. What if the MC is working with K? Why else would K say "Did you forget the kind of people that you're talking to?" to the MC if the MC didn't already know what kind of people K thinks the main six are? I think maybe K recruited the MC to help with whatever his plans, but the MC falling for one of the main six is gonna throw a wrench in those plans. It would be really interesting if maybe the MC wanted revenge against the main six and joined up with K, but ended up falling for them instead. The angst, the drama, the heartbreak.

Anyway, these are my half-coherent, tossed together at the last minute theories, so anyone has any corrections or theories they want to add, please feel free to do so! Thank you to Velvet Fox Games for giving me something to hyperfixate on in my scant free time!

#infinite blue #velvet fox games #alexei demidov #brooklyn hayes #leo roselund #milo de luca #rory gatlin #tobias fox

45 notes · View notes

shadyb00ts · 1 year

Text

The Little Mermaid (2023) - Review

As a longtime fan of Chloe x Halle, I knew from the moment that Halle Bailey was cast as Ariel that she was the perfect choice. Of course the racists were (and still are) whining and throwing tantrums about Ariel being black, because they never believe any person of color can truly earn a role with sheer talent, but for a long time I was sure that even if this movie ended up being an absolute dumpster fire, Halle would be the saving grace of that dumpster fire. She would be the best part, hands down.

Well, I wasn't surprised to see that I was right. About her being the best part, at least, but I don't think the movie itself is a dumpster fire at all. I actually really enjoyed it, and I've been very cynical of the Disney live action remakes for a long time like most people are. I had no confidence in this film but I had the utmost confidence in Halle to shine no matter what. However, there were things about this movie that pleasantly surprised me. Some disappointments though, I'll admit.

This is gonna be a long review, as my reviews always are. Spoilers ahead. I'd recommend you read this if you've seen the movie, but if you haven't and don't care about spoilers, read on.

So for starters, I was never really a Little Mermaid stan. Of course I loved the movie as a kid because I was obsessed with mermaids in general, and the songs were undisputed classics, but I wasn't exactly a fan of the movie as I grew older. I don't dislike it, it's just... fine. It's very of its time. So because of that, I knew they were going to update and expand certain things in the remake. For better or worse.

I've already stated how much I thought Halle nailed this film. Maybe you could say that I'm biased since I was already a fan of hers anyway, but hey, this is just my honest opinion. She captured Ariel's essence so beautifully; her innocence and naivete, her curiosity and inquisitiveness, her yearning and wonder. And while yes, the CGI during the underwater scenes could be a little janky some of the time, I was mostly mesmerized by the way she moved, the way her hair moved and the iridescence of her tail. She just looked so gorgeous and adorable and got Ariel down to a science.

As for when she gets legs and goes to the surface, that's where she shines even more, because she has to act without saying a word. It was all in her expressions and mannerisms and I thought she absolutely delivered. I haven't mentioned the new songs they added yet, but they did add a new Ariel song for when she goes to the surface called "For the First Time" and I have to say that it's my favorite new addition. It's soooo delightfully musical theater and I think it has the most Little Mermaid-esque vibe to it. It fit the movie perfectly.

Back to the actors, I also thought Melissa McCarthy was the biggest surprise. I had zero confidence that she would do the role justice, but I thought she actually did a great job. She was definitely channeling Pat Carroll and some of her lines elicited chuckles out of me. And I thought her rendition of Poor Unfortunate Souls was pretty good, even though it's unfortunately missing the iconic "body language" lyric. She's not a strong vocalist but I think she did the best she could, and she was one of the highlights. Also she did the Ursula Shoulder Shimmy which I appreciated.

Jonah Hauer King as Prince Eric also did a good job I think. The remake added much-needed depth and character to Eric that was missing in the original. Another thing I appreciated was how they tried to show more parallels between Eric and Ariel. There's a scene in the movie where Ariel finds Eric's library/study, and it's shot in a way that makes it reminiscent to Ariel's grotto. They tried to give the two more things in common, and I think they succeeded in that. Plus the chemistry between Jonah and Halle was just off the charts. I rarely find straight couples adorable, but I thought they were so adorable any time they were sharing a scene.

My one minor gripe with his casting is that he's not exactly the strongest vocalist. One of the new musical numbers is an Eric song called Wild Uncharted Waters, and.... I didn't really like it. His voice kind of sounded like the lead singer of an angsty rock band from the 2000s. As soon as it started it gave me war flashbacks to Emma Watson in Beauty and the Beast, where they had to use very noticeable autotune on her voice. Granted that was much, MUCH worse, but still. I don't wanna be reminded of that travesty. The song itself is okay I think, but it could be much better if they had a stronger vocalist or a Broadway darling to play the role, to really do the song justice. But like I said, this is just a minor gripe because Eric really only gets one song, and Jonah overall did a good job.

A change that I really appreciated was, instead of Ariel getting invited to dinner at the castle, she and Eric go to a market instead. The kingdom in the remake is inspired by the Caribbean and I loved the tropical, colorful vibe of the locale. The market visit allowed Ariel to wander around and marvel at everything she doesn't understand, and it's a much cuter, more laid back way for her and Eric to spend time together. Some people were upset about the crazy chef who tries to kill Sebastian being removed, but honestly, I never thought that sequence added anything to the original. I loved what they did here.

Daveed Diggs as Sebastian... Sigh. Look, I love Daveed but I feel like he was so miscast for this. Anytime he spoke or sang, you could tell the Jamaican accent was very put on. Sure, the original actor who voiced Sebastian--Samuel E. Wright, RIP--also was putting on a Jamaican accent, but somehow it just felt more natural when he did it. His voice work as Sebastian was so iconic, and Daveed just missed the mark on this role. It just wasn't the right role for him. His version of Under the Sea was also quite underwhelming, and he did a lot of talk-singing during it. I liked the Under the Sea sequence visually, but not quite sonically.

As for Kiss the Girl, people were making such an uproar about the lyric changes but the changes were so minor. They literally only changed like, a couple of lines, and the song is still the same thematically. It's still just the animal sidekicks trying to influence Eric to kiss the girl in kiiind of a date-r*pey-ish way. They wanted to make it seem more consensual, but nothing's really changed. But yeah, I do think the original version of the song is still better regardless. Similar issue I felt about Under the Sea, it just... doesn't quite hit the mark.

Awkwafina as Scuttle was... alright. She had some funny moments, but I mean, she's just doing her regular voice. It's literally just Awkwafina as a bird. But what I really hated was.. Scuttlebutt.

Oh god, Scuttlebutt. I honestly have no idea what Lin Manuel Miranda was thinking when he wrote this? I don't know if he was smoking something really strong, cause like... Mama, this is garbage. Like, I can't even explain to you how painful to hear this song was. It's absolutely the worst and most unnecessary addition to the soundtrack. Nobody wants to hear Awkwafina, the queen of putting on blaccents, rapping. That's the last thing any of us wanna hear. It was just. So. Horrible. I've seen the movie twice in theaters now and each time I was just begging for that song to be over.

Anyway, that's the most negative thing I can say about this movie, was that damn song. Lin deserved jailtime for that one.

For the more minor characters, Javier Bardem as Triton was okay. Some people think he was horrible but I don't think he was that bad, it was fine. I still would've preferred Idris Elba as Triton but that's just my personal fancast.

Flounder was... Flounder. Yeah, I don't like his hyper-realistic design, but he was still pretty cute and 12-year-old Jacob Tremblay was just trying his best to emulate the original actor and I think he did a fine job.

Ariel's sisters were barely in it, like in the original. They did give them each unique, cute designs, but we all know that it's just to sell dolls. They appear in the beginning of the movie in a pretty awkward scene that's supposed to replace the concert from the original film. Apparently Triton and his daughters meet every time there's something called the Coral Moon? It seems to just be a family meeting of some sort. They left it so vague, they didn't even bother to explain what the Coral Moon was. I wish they had just kept the concert.

But yeah, the sisters are all named and apparently I heard each of them are supposed to have special powers? Well those powers weren't showcased in the movie at all, so we know it was just a marketing tactic. I'm sure there'll be tons of fanfics of all the sisters having adventures and whatnot. They might even make an animated series. It'd be called Ariel and Her Sisters, or Daughters of Triton.

I do think the dolls are very slay though. I'd buy the whole 7 pack.

Oh my god, I forgot to talk about Vanessa. Girl... Jessica Alexander bodied this role. Even though she was only in it for a handful of minutes, she ate up every bit of those minutes. I also really liked Vanessa's Trick from the soundtrack and thought it sounded beautiful. Do I wish it still had lyrics instead of "la-di-da's"? Sure I guess, but I honestly don't mind all that much. It's very haunting and Halle's voice is ethereal on it.

I think that's all I have to say on the movie. It's a fun time and it's bolstered by some stellar performances (particularly from Halle) and welcome changes/additions. But it's also kinda bogged down by not-always-great CGI, some clunky musical choices, and certain things cut from the original film that I thought shouldn't have been cut.

Still, I very much enjoyed this movie more than any of the other Disney remakes so far. I do agree with people's sentiments of it being the best of the bunch, but well... the bar isn't exactly high in that regard. Maybe because the previous remakes were so bad, this one just is the best because it's the only one that doesn't suck.

Whatever the case, I had enough of a great time that I went and saw it twice. I recommend you see it too before it leaves theaters.

#the little mermaid #the little mermaid 2023 #ariel #halle bailey #jonah hauer king #melissa mccarthy #ursula #prince eric #sebastian #flounder #scuttle #tlm #movie review #film #disney #live action remakes #disney live action #review #film review

31 notes · View notes