#but overall the vibe is catchy

[wonderatmywoman]

Things I love about Nerdy Prudes Must Die now that I've finally finished my proshot watch

Angela, literally everything she does in this show. She's fucking hilarious, her line delivery and facial expressions are incredible and she looks so insane and evil at the end. She's just amazing

The songs. They're so catchy and we know Jeff can write some absolute bangers, but to get so many in one show? They're all great

Speaking of songs, Joey and Mariah sound so good together when they're singing If I Loved You (idk if that's the name but you know which one I mean)

Will Branner is so good as Max. He reminded me of Jim Carrey several times. I love the way he delivers all of his lines and his voice is gorgeous

Bryce Charles in her solo as the reporter??? Holy shit what an incredible voice!

Lauren Lopez, love of my life, never fails to turn on an amazing performance. I love Ruth very much and to keep that voice going the whole time is impressive

Jon's 'I'm not a loser' in Nerdy Prudes Must Die is so pure and gorgeous

Jon overall was great, I loved his portrayal of Richie and he's genuinely quite scary as Wiggly

Dirty Girl Soup - just the phrase is ridiculous and I love it

Great performance from Mariah, I love her voice, especially when she hits those lower notes it's so beautiful

Wonderful from Joey, he was definitely giving me Scrags vibes as Peter

Curt, Kim and Corey were excellent as well even though they all had smaller roles. I adore evil Corey so much, he should be a villain more often

Costuming was On Point, everyone looks amazing

'Beans cool? Excellent' did I just step into Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure??

I got kinda carried away and as you can probably tell, I loved everything about this show. I bought a digital ticket (worth it just for Angela falling off the chair and everyone breaking tbh) but it didn't really hit then for a number of reasons but this proshot is so fucking good

#posts from moi #starkid #nerdy prudes must die #npmd #lauren lopez #joey richter #angela giarratana #mariah rose faith #npmd spoilers

[doobea]

KISS ME THRU THE PHONE - ISAGI YOICHI

synopsis: in which Isagi texts the wrong number and things kinda go downhill.

TWELVE - A melody stuck in my head. -> MASTERLIST contents: fem!reader, college au, fake dating, strangers to lovers, he fell first but you fell harder, generally sfw, different povs, isagi is putting in WORK, and we love his supportive friend group, its very 2010s vibes in terms of romance and i honestly love it word count: 1.8K a/n: woo first written portion out of like two? smau texts towards the end hehe but overall this is super tooth-rotting fluff

It's been maybe 30 minutes tops. But Chigiri convinces you that it's been well over an hour. The time frames that you guys throw out are strikingly different because there's no way that you see yourself spending over an hour deciding which color to buy for a dress that may or may not be out of your tax bracket.

Rin looks up from his phone when his name gets called out. He's sitting in the designated 'man cave' area of the women's department store, which is just two sofas surrounded by large photo frames of stereotypical shirtless men in their boxers. Super manly and definitely not catered toward single mothers.

"Have you guys decided on something?" He quirks a brow.

"No," You miss the frown on Rin's face as you shove the same two dresses in front of him again. "Hyoma says it's been over an hour but that's impossible!"

"It has been." Chirigi purses his lips and tries his best to hold back any signs of annoyance because, at the end of the day, he was the one who was adamant about you going to the mall in the first place. Going to the mall specifically to buy an outfit for your fake confession that's going to happen in front of the entire football team later this week.

"It hasn't, Hyo." Your tone is certain.

Rin clears his throat and shuts his phone off. "Actually, it has. You've been showing us the same two dresses for this entire outing."

Your cheeks heat from embarrassment and you clutch the dresses to your chest. "Even if an hour has passed, it's still a hard decision." Or are you just making it hard on yourself? You're not really sure.

Chirigi sighs before resting a hand on your shoulder. "Never knew you would be down this bad for a crush."

There's no protest from you, just awkward fidgeting and debating if it was even a good idea to bring your friends with you in the first place. Before you can come up with an answer, your phone rings with a familiar blue heart flashing across the screen.

You don't know the face you're making right now, but judging from the smirk Chirigi and Rin throw at you, you know it's probably not a 'cool, stoic, totally not blushing' look. Finally, you put the white dress back on the clothing rack and briskly walk to the other side of the store and away from your nosy best friends. Blue looks better on you anyway.

"Hey!" You try to attempt to be super casual.

"Hey?" Isagi replies back, sounding more confused than anything.

There's an awkward pause before Isagi continues. "Aah, you don't have to go out of your way to dress up, you know that right?"

And there it is. You want to crawl into the nearest trash can and disappear for the rest of the day.

Isagi stares intensely at his phone and shifts through his curated playlist. He's been playing every song out loud in the living room for the past few minutes, seemingly unaware of his own roommate trying to study a few feet away.

Isagi hums and closes his eyes as he listens to the current song playing, trying to envision if it was 'right' for the planned moment, before skipping it entirely with a heavy sigh.

"That's not it either."

He does this process again with another generic romance song from the early 2000s. The beat is catchy, he's not sure if he likes the vocals, and the lyrics are a little bit suggestive. Maybe this song is too much, he decides. And skips to the next one.

Rinse and repeat.

Again, Isagi fails to notice a very tired-out Reo by the kitchen table with his own set of headphones on, tapping away at his laptop with at least three cups of coffee at his side and wearing a very grim expression. Suddenly, Isagi feels something small but hard hit the back of his head.

"Hey, what the hell—"

"Take that shit elsewhere, some people have exams coming up!"

"Sorry, sorry!" Isagi rushes up to his feet and takes his belongings, flashing his roommate a genuine apologetic smile. "I'll let you do your thing."

"Good," Reo's voice hardens immediately, and readjusts his focus back on his screen again. This only lasts approximately ten seconds because Isagi pops by his side with his playlist in Reo's face. "Oh my god what—"

"This song?" Isagi plays a quick sample before switching over. "Or this song?"

"Just fucking sing to her at this point."

"What? That's an awful idea, Reo."

Rin has lost count of just how many times you've paced back and forth in your bedroom. He thinks it's 25. Chirigi is lying down on your mattress with one of your romance books in his hands and almost yawning at this point because of course you can't decide on what shoes to wear with your blue dress.

Rin adjusts his position as he sits by your vanity and starts playing with some of your self-care items. He thinks he's touching a beauty blender or whatever they're called. It's squishy.

"Not to sound dramatic or anything," Chigiri begins as he flips a page over. "But at this rate, we might miss the football game."

You groan and look over your shoulder. "You do sound dramatic."

Not dramatic at all, Rin wants to say.

Isagi had sent out a text to a shared group chat earlier in the week about the starting time for the football match — 5:30pm is when warm-ups start and then 6:00pm is when the match begins. He then texted both Rin and Chigiri that he'll whip out his 'master plan' around 7:45pm near the locker rooms.

The digital clock on your desk reads 5:45 and you're still fidgeting around. Chigiri is slightly annoyed but won't outwardly say it to your face. Rin thinks it's cute seeing you fluster over a guy. And he feels at ease knowing that Isagi is willing to go out of his way with all these elaborate plans just to make sure you feel safe and comfortable.

"Mhm, I hope a wedding happens," Rin mumbles. It doesn't catch your or Chigiri's attention because when he looks up from your vanity, Chigiri throws a pair of white sandal platforms in your arms.

"Please, for the love of god, let's leave now."

"Fine! I was just gonna pick them out too!"

The football match ends with a grand finale goal scored by none other than Isagi Yoichi. Even if he didn't make the goal, the team would've won regardless since the score was up by three additional points. The scene looks straight out of one of those cheesy sports movies where the whole team runs onto the field and tackles the main character, screaming and cheering a bunch of incoherent sounds to celebrate their victory. Add some Gatorade, cheerleaders doing their chants, a little bit of crowd surfing, and end scene.

Isagi looks happy, maybe even fucking ecstatic, despite being covered in sweat and you're positive that he feels on top of the world when he searches the crowd and locks his gaze onto yours.

You shrink into the bleachers and cover your warm cheeks with your hands. You kinda hate how he has this effect on you. "He's looking at me!"

"No surprise there," Rin chews mindlessly on an overpriced pretzel that he got from a vendor earlier. "Have any idea how he's gonna do it?"

"Oh my god, no! Should I be worried? What if I look dumb? Does my hair look okay? How about—"

"You look great," Chirigi reassures with a gentle pat on your head. "Get ready, it looks like he's getting his things from the locker room now."

You still have no idea what dumb song he decided on. Or if he actually went out and brought you flowers and some dumb pieces of chocolate. Or, even worse, he scraped the original plan and hopped back onto Reddit of all places for more unwarranted advice. Regardless of what Isagi decides, he's going to leave you a blushing mess by the end of the night.

You snap out of your thoughts when your best friends nudge you out of your seat.

"Let's meet up with them, I think I see him carrying the speaker." Rin peers into the distance.

Chigiri stands up and almost laughs. "Looks like he has some backup dancers too."

"He has what now?"

The team finishes their group huddle for the night by the locker rooms. The conversation consists of unwarranted butt slaps from his teammates and a whole lot of 'do that again next season'.

Isagi overhears his captain bragging about how many fangirls were cheering for him from the stands tonight and looks away to roll his eyes. He feels a combination of heated insults forming on his tongue but that disappears when he feels Bachira's crushing weight on his back.

"Are we ready yet?" His friend chirps.

"Ready is an understatement," Isagi flashes a grin before pulling out his phone and boombox from his gym bag. "Let's show Aiku what we're made out of."

"Hey," Isagi looks over his shoulders to see Reo and Nagi carrying the gifts he had brought earlier, a bouquet of light blue roses, a small teddy bear charm, and a box of chocolates. "Don't fuck this up."

"Wouldn't dream of it." He grins carelessly, but there's a weight to his words.

They get into formation when Isagi sees you walking over. He couldn't make out your outfit during the game and frankly thought you weren't going to dress up at all, but when you're within an arm's length away, he feels his breath getting stuck in his throat. You look absolutely stunning in his eyes, and he feels slightly bad for putting you on the spot and having everyone see you in this way. He selfishly wishes that it's a private confession.

Isagi clears his throat before pressing 'play'. As soon as he hears the first note, he starts his speech. Bachira, Reo, and Nagi shuffle awkwardly back and forth, waving their phones around with the flashlight on as the whole football team, and you included, gawks in silence.

"Shawty's like a melody in my head That I can't keep out, got me singin' like Na na na na everyday"

"Honestly, it feels surreal to be doing this right now since this all started from a wrong number a few weeks ago." Isagi finds himself struggling to find his words when he meets your eyes but he manages to push through and stick with his script. "I look forward to sending you good morning texts every day and I find myself smiling more whenever I'm with you. You're everything that I find myself wanting and I would love it if you came to formal with me."

TAGLIST

@fabitheraven, @froggie-zusya23, @rroxii,@anurst,@silly-ez, @userwithlotsoftime, @tiniewife, @zeld6lvr, @macspov, @plopify, @urluvvdommm, @theweirdfloatything, @shironagi, @avogigi, @limerence-lu, @exatse, @cloooudmilk, @keijiqahara, @kakie @xacgrx @reiners-milkbiddies @arxliana @lazyogurt @kaitfae @yuxame @keiitsune @ch3nyan @ll-seishu @qwertyblo @mellozhi @y-sabell-a @izumi-astra-123 @blissblossom @slay0368 @hanniejji @mimikage @yoichiislovie @stwberri @wooasecret @faeroow @yuzurins @celestair @ascybous @satoruskitchenrag @laavatron @lupinandout @yoisami @softfor-svtptg @nymphsdomain @astro-pioneer @kunikame

a/n: hehe the song he plays is "Replay by Iyaz". the songs he was debating over are all listed in his playlist. could u imagine if isagi plays "hey daddy (daddy's home)" while confessing??? poor y/n would die!! anyways i think there is one more chapter left hehe sorry for the late update - life's been hectic atm!

#blue lock #doobea writing #bllk #bllk x reader #blue lock imagines #blue lock x reader #blue lock headcanons #isagi yoichi #isagi yoichi x reader #blue lock smau #blue lock x female reader #blue lock x you #blue lock x y/n #kiss me thru the phone - isagi yoichi

[acidichcl]

I’ve been seeing people make their own tmnt iteration for a while now and i wanted to finally join in the fun. Im not as creative tho so 😭 whatever. Heres me doodling the main cast to get an idea what they look like in my version

Edit: this is kinddaaa outdated. Theres been a few changes to their designs

I wanted to get the 2000s cartoon vibes. And i was thinking of sgt frog too while making this so there might be the same vibes. I love sgt frog. I call this version TMNT: Against All Odds. Probably sounds corny but idk, sounds catchy

Some info about them under the cut

April’s the one who dressed them up based on their interests. Excluding leo’s and donnie’s techs. Donnie made his tech and leo’s hologram control thing. And leo’s hologram necklace is actually a gift April got from her science teacher, Baxter Stockman. More on that later tho. Maybe. Idk yet

In my version, things are more lighthearted. Shredder is an alien that took over the kraangs planet and so the kraangs escape to earth. Theyre like pests tho, they carry ooze that makes ppl sick. Theyre not TOO harmful, but theyre bothersome. the turtles do fight crime that happens and also tries to help out with kraang situations. The turtles are mostly carefree and has a more positive outlook on everything. Leo tends to be the most innocent, other than mikey. They both have so much joy and love in their hearts bless them

The best way i can describe donnie is that he’s like Rise donnie but less vocal abt his sense of superiority and intelligence(?) my donnie is more mysterious and puts on an off-putting facade just for the fun of creeping people out. He cares for others tho and it rlly shows that hes kind hearted. Just a bit weird and sometimes takes his pranks too far (he pranks his brothers with his inventions to show how impressive his inventions are. Sometimes it fails and so their adventures consists of them having to get around donnie’s invention problems) if you watch Sgt frog, then u can tell i got heavily inspired by Kululu lol

My raph is basically like 2003 raph i think, just a bit nicer

For April, i wanted to make her be a popular girl in her school. Shes not a mean popular girl. She just is popular for some reason and shes cool with everyone. Everyone gets along, mostly, but she just doesnt like being around people and prefers to stay home doing her own thing. Shes an art kid who loves anything artsy, especially making her own stories

Overall theyre just having fun tbh. I want them to not have trauma for once😭 or at least not yet. Other than the whole kraang situation, their problems are mostly them wanting to have fun outside and do normal people stuff but April doesnt let them cuz she knows people will be weirded out by them. And other shenanigans. I do have more plans for them but for now, this is all

Close ups without the little notes:

#tmnt iteration #art #my art #drawing #artists on tumblr #teenage mutant ninja turtles #tmnt #digital drawing #small artist #doodle #concept art #digital art #artwork #tmnt art #character redesign #yippiee #tmnt against all odds

[staytheword]

LMLY (leave me loving you)

lmly (leave me loving you) — short series masterlist status — complete [ back to general masterlist ]

this series (and this blog) are 18+ !! minors, please do not interact!! if you interact with my writing please have a profile picture and short bio indicating your age. it helps me make sure you are not a bot!!

• han jisung x female reader, other stray kids members are mentioned/featured, as well as other idols (very briefly).

• non idol au, rock band au. lots of banter and chaos. a little angst because I can't help it, but overall there is a good vibe. drinking, drug consumption (weed), strong language, smut. (nothing particular, specific warnings will be given on each part)

The Jack of Trades, a music venue owned by your best friend, is packed with a febrile audience. If the Trades normally hosts less known local artists, tonight a popular band on the rise, Side Effects, is performing. You're there for support, as you always are, not sure of what to expect from the performance. As you hang backstage, you make eye contact with their dummer, Han Jisung, and all it takes is a smile and a wink.

• author’s note: Hi everyone ♡ I finally gathered enough courage to announce the new series I've been working on. If you can't tell this is all super board's fault. I am blameless :) This will be a short series, of probably three "short" parts (7k each). Please let me know if it interests you and if you would like to be tagged! I'll try to post the first part soon! You'll find a small preview under the cut!! Thank you as always for your support, lots of love ♡

• part one — thanks for the memories • part two — the kids aren't alright • part three — anywhere but home

preview ↓

You decide to stay for a song, making yourself small backstage. The first notes of an electric guitar rips through the room, soon followed by a rhythmic beat on the drums. When the voices join the melody, you find yourself moving, tapping your feet on the floor. The song is catchy, reminding you of the music you listened to when you were a teenager - in a good way - and their voices blend in perfect harmony. 

Tank top guy, who you understand is the main singer and guitarist, stands at the center of the stage, belting a perfectly controlled high note in the microphone. To his right, the other guitarist smiles widely at the crowd, no longer looking nervous - and to the left, perfectly sporting the bad boy look with his leather jacket, the bassist does not even smirk. 

But really, it’s him you can’t look away from. Sitting at the drums, on the edge of his stool, slamming his sticks like a man possessed. He’s fast and aggressive, his face quickly dripping in sweat, his tongue slightly sticking out from between his teeth. In your entire life, you’ve never seen anyone play the drums like that. He’s probably barely visible behind the other members and the array of drums and cymbals in front of him, and yet he shines so bright you can’t take your eyes off him. 

You stand there as if struck by lightning for the rest of the song, and then for about half of the second. 

Who is that guy? 

You see the appeal. Four handsome guys with an insane amount of charisma bombarding really good music like they were born for it - of course they would be popular. Around you, the audience is dancing and singing, clearly having fun. You feel proud, and a little embarrassed that you didn’t give this band much attention before. They are good. 

You clap when the second song ends, listening attentively as they introduce themselves. The singer and leader is Chris. The other guitarist is Felix. At the bass is Minho, and behind the drums sits Jisung. 

You can’t help it - you stare at him. Jisung. He’s fidgeting like a child as Chris interacts with the crowd, happiness overflowing his eyes. He plays with his drumsticks like they’re the extensions of his fingers, which you don’t doubt is true. As Felix says something about an upcoming EP, Jisung leans down to drink some water, and as he looks up, your eyes meet.

He doesn’t react, and for a second you think he can’t actually see you in the dark - but then, he smiles. 

A heart-wrenching, life-altering smile. 

You can almost feel your legs wobble, but really, you are too shocked to move. You just stare back like an idiot until he looks away. 

How can a guy be so goddamn magnetic? 

The next song starts and you try to catch your breath. It’s hard to do so as he plays right next to you, the muscles of his arms tensed, his entire body jolting as he pounces on the drums. He’s still smiling, but he’s focused. You breathe out slowly. 

When you think you can watch him in peace, he turns his head for a second and winks at you. 

It’s the hottest thing you’ve ever seen. 

You take a step backwards, clearing your throat, and look around nervously. Hyunjin, standing beside you, laughs. You glare at him and he playfully winks at you. You make sure to give his arm a good slap before you head back towards the sound booth and Changbin, your legs a little shaky. 

You’ll watch the concert from a distance. 

• permanent taglist: ughbehavior​ ; upallnight-s ; changbinluvr ; rosexjimin ; nasiaisan ;  lotus-dly ; cb97percent ; j-0ne25 ; tanyas97 ; raspbinniecreme

• story taglist: mintquokka ; septicrebel ; is2cb97 ; dirah-h ; bokk-minnie ; allypasta ; strawberriesandknives ; drhsthl ; hyunjins-red-lights ; thesunsfullmoon ; hanstan34 ; hanjiphile ; brit97 ; downbadreading ; phobia0325 ; multinci ; anthorpologymajorkpopmultistan ; jisungxident

#han jisung x you #han jisung x reader #han jisung x y/n #han jisung smut #skz smut #skz x reader #skz x you #skz x y/n #stray kids smut #stray kids x reader #stray kids x y/n #stray kids x you #kpop smut #han smut #han x you #han x reader #han x y/n

[mirieru]

Stray Kids Next Comeback ⋆𐙚

Hello everyone, have a nice day, I got the idea to try to find out details about the upcoming comeback of Stray Kids.

Comeback theme ❘ 8 pentacles + 10 swords + 7 cups at the bottom of the deck

The theme of this comeback will be hard work and dedication, this comeback will be more mature and more complex, as it requires time and hard work. The 10 of swords represent suffering, which can refer to the struggle of making music, and the 7 of cups represent confusion and indecision. So the theme will be more mature, complex and hard-working, requiring more dedication, so expect something grand and ambitious. Overall theme is that of hard work and being persistent to achieve your dreams and goals. The theme will also be partly about self-love, confidence and acceptance, and participants will have a new look to reflect who they have become.

"What genre of music will the title song of the next comeback be?" ❘ queen of wands + priest + 3 pentacles at the bottom of the deck

The queen of wands represent excitement and passion which also implies speed, i can see a genre that is fast, fun with a catchy tune or beat and with the 3 pentacles at the bottom which indicate a hardwork in progress, i am seeing something like a hiphop. the song will be a powerful, confident and lively song, the priest suggests that it will have a little bit of spirituality to it, it will have lyrics that make people feel hopeful and inspired. The 3 pentacles show the hardwork and determination put into the song, the song will be very good and it will be something people will not forget easily. The song will be very lively with catchy rhythm and lyrics, also it will be easy to follow, as for the 3 pentacles that shows the message of the song will be about hard work and progress, the message of this comeback will motivate people to become better.

"What will be the visual theme for the title video?" ❘ page of swords + 2 wands + 7 cups at the bottom of the deck

The visual theme for the title video will be fun and youthful, it will show a group who is free and enjoys life to its fullest, there will be a lot of energy in the video, also people will be able recognize some of the members personalities through the theme. The cups indicates that this video will also have an emotional aspect to it, i sense that the viewers might get to see a more personal side of the members. I can see that the comeback will have a very strong, maybe mystical and powerful vibe, strong colors, with hints to black magic or possibly rituals. The two Wands and seven Cups indicate a lot of energy and power, the Wands is usually related to the power of life and death and the seven cups is related to emotions and possibly something related to romance. You should expect something very powerful for the visual theme of the comeback of Stray Kids. The music video will have a strong focus on dialogue, and strong visuals, with strong colors and imagery. There will be strong use of symbolism and the theme might also have a message of justice. There will be a strong focus on communication, and the theme might also involve some kind of message involving the concept of conflict and peace.

"Will the title song of the next comeback focus more on vocals or rap?" ❘ Ace of Pentacles + Page of Swords + 7 Swords at the bottom of the deck

According to the cards, the next Stray Kids Title song is going to be more centered around vocals, with rap parts also played a prominent role in the song. However, vocals will play a more significant role in the song compared to rap. The vocals are going to be powerful and emotional, with strong meanings and will have a strong impact on the overall song. The song will likely have some rap, but the focus will be on vocals. The song will have a powerful and energetic vibe in terms of rhythm, and a strong chorus.

"Will the next comeback be like any of the past?" ❘ chariot + 8 wands + 6 swords on the bottom of the deck

Stray Kids' next comeback will be unlike any of their past comebacks, it will have a unique sound and style and will showcase the members' growth and mature. The song will have a powerful and energetic rhythm, with a strong chorus and catchy lyrics. New terms of lyrics, sounds, visuals, concept, etc. The music itself will also feature new sounds and elements than what was heard before, making it something fresh and unique. Visuals and concept will also be new and unique.

"Which side of themselves will the members show the most? (like sexy or childish, etc.)" ❘ hermit + 10 pentacles + world at the bottom of the deck

This card combination indicates that the members will show a very mature and sophisticated side of themselves for this comeback, with a focus on emotional maturity. There will be a lot of focus on their inner strength, their own personal wisdom and experience. In terms of visuals, concepts and lyrics, there will be a mature and sophisticated vibe, with a touch of elegance. There will be a lot of focus on emotional maturity, so members will be shown as mature, wise and sophisticated. They will not be portrayed as sexy or childish, but rather as someone who has learned a lot from life and who has gained lots of wisdom.

THANK YOU FOR READING 🐰

*Based on tarot

#skz #skz tarot #bang chan #hwang hyunjin #hyunjin #lee know #seo changbin #stray kids #tarot #lee felix #felix #han jisung #seungmin #yang jeongin #kim seungmin

[placeinthisworld]

ttpdta review part one 🤠

let me preface this by stating that i am a swiftie first and person second in this situation. i have grown up with taylor and feel as if shes my big sister- yes i can make fun of her but if i see anyone else do it i will get fiercely protective. i do understand her music is not only art but also her form of therapy. that being said, throughout these nonsense notes i am constantly mentioning that taylor should go to therapy. i am aware of what she has said about therapy (and why she doesn’t go) but i would beg to differ with her…especially after this album release lol.

taylor is an extraordinary storyteller and song writer. i believe this album is full of evidence of that, but it also has some faults that prevent from being as good as i felt like it could have been. overall the album feels rushed.

i also feel like it’s important to recognize the elephant in the room. i know we probably all expected this to be a joe breakup album, so the fact that it turned out to be a “fuck you matty healy” album shook us all a little bit. i know matty had a controversial history, im not gonna sit here and defend him. i don’t know much about him other than what is forced against my will. i do however know that he struggles with mental health issues/ substance abuse/ addiction. i’m not gonna comment much about his personal issues, i don’t feel like that’s right and taylor’s constant references to drugs throughout ttpd definitely rubs me the wrong way. i should also mention i grew up with an active addict and do view things from that perspective, so i feel slightly triggered by the topic and my feelings about that may just be personal but i do mention that in my notes when it’s relevant.

lastly, i am not a music production girlie idk shit lol. i only know i am a aaron dessner stan so any song with his name im already biased towards and i am aware, if u don’t like that idk what to tell u lol. i just know what i feel like is “good” or “bad” but music is subjective🫶🏻

1. Fortnight:

Hate the functional alcoholic part. Like the beat, the chorus is catchy. One thing i love about a taylor swift song is that theres always a story and its always visual. I like the metaphor of the “good neighbors” of like having this teasing/ longing feeling for someone that you could have had a life with. “Your wife waters flowers/ i want to kill her + my husbands cheating/ i want to kill him” feeling like you were robbed of her life, feeling “all my mornings are mondays stuck in an endless february” reminiscing about the short period of time where you were together and convinced it would last forever (only for it to end before it even started). I do not listen to much post malone but i enjoyed his verse!! So many florida references we get it everything bad happens in florida.

i have not seen the video yet oooopsies

2. Ttpd:

i thought this was the opening of Hey Stephen (the remix) or something at first. gotta say i absolutely love the way she sings “you left your typewriter at my apartment/ straight from the tortured poets department” i enjoyed the vibe of this song, and lyrics up until the “you smoked then ate seven bars of chocolate (OKAY SOOOOOOO ME CODED NGL I LAUGHED at this point i could let this lyric slide- bit then she had to mention the charlie puth and golden retriever thing and ngl it almost ruins the song entirely for me. Tbh when i first listened to the leak i thought this was a fake AI song and that i was sending around a fake leak bc these lyrics started to get a little weird to me. ‘Sometimes i wonder if youre gonna screw this up with me/ but you told lucy you’d kill yourself if i ever leave” …………girl i am begging you to see a therapist (side note did anyone else have a friend in hs whos bf would say that shit a lot?? I remember straight up fighting with a friend who refused to break up w her bf bc he would threaten to end his own life is she did and he was like 16? If an adult is saying that same shit i would be Very concerned not gossiping about it???) “i chose this cyclone with you” my first reaction was: ride the cyclone the musical? Overall i liked the first half but you lost me at charlie puth (hes the one with eyebrow right? I think i get him and miles teller mixed up) (i dont know who either of these men are)

3. My boy only breaks his favorite things:

Okay tbh i thought this was gonna be one of my least favorites, but the total opposite happened. I think this is one of my top 5 favorites on this album. I do think that there is a difference between a poem and a song and that they are not always interchangeable. I feel like if this was edited into a poem it would be KILLER. The visuals, the the story, the vocabulary, the sadness in it. “Im queen of sandcastles he destroys/ There was danger in the heat of my touch/ once i fix me/ hes gonna miss me/ i felt more when we played pretend then with all the kens / cause he took me out of my box” i feel like ever since folklore, taylors been trying to push these big fancy words and sometimes it feels awkward and forced, but this is one of the rare songs that doesn't suffer from that.

4. Down bad:

meh. Chorus is catchy. I dont love the narrative “fuck it if i cant have him/ i might just it would make no difference” but i also have never once experienced that over a person before lmao……….taylor go to therapy. Nothing really stands out about this to me otherwise. No offense, but it sounds like a generic jack antonoff song lol. Like maybe if another artist released this, i would enjoy it more but idk i wouldnt expect it from taylor i guess. Just kinda feels boring to me sorry if u enjoy it <3

5. So long, london:

oh man were done with british men now for real for real. “ two graves one gun. I'll find someone” its over for joe and matty (but thats fine if all she has to say about joe is what i think she said on this album i am happy i think We Get It…) Aaron dessner i love u (remember when he reposted me on his ig ahh).”i kept calm and carried the weight of the rift/ pulled him in tighter each time he was drifting away” + “I stopped trying to make him laugh/ stopped trying to drill the safe/ i didnt opt in to be our odd man out/ im pissed off you let me give you all of that youth for free” oof i FELT that one a LITTLE too hard. I think this is both a song about matty and joe- i think she had a life and an attachment to london just in general through both relationships, “im just mad as hell because i loved this place” and so reflecting back on how both are over and how all those plans with either are done. “You sacrificed us to the gods of your bluest days” OKAY kinda hate this phrase bc it feels like shes placing blame on whomever’s mental health/ depression, like as if they made the conscious decision to sacrifice the relationship solely. This very much feels like “how much sadness did you think i could take before i got bored???” overall top favorite songs bc it doesnt have too many cringey or odd lyrics and the production is 10/10 thank u aaron dessner ilysm king

6. But daddy i love him:

tbh when i got the leak this was the first song i listened to bc i thought it was gonna be the worst one and i wanted to get it over with (i was RIGHT until she dropped that second half……..) and i DIDNT have the lyrics obviously so i couldnt for the life of me figure out if she really said “im having his baby…..NO IM NOT!” until the VERY end of the song and bro…….the cringe. The cringe. The cringe. This is also when i started to question if this was real or if i was passing out a fake leak, lol. I dont understand how she could be saying this shit about matty. And like we all know it lol. “Sometimes growing up precocious sometimes means not growing up at all” …….but like does it??? I feel like thats kinda an oxymoron or something like i understand what shes trying to say and MOST of the time her metaphors and comparisons make sense to me but like this one doesnt. Growing up precocious means to grow up more advanced in maturity, how would that also mean not growing up at all? Is it just me getting stoned and overthinking things? “Ill tell you something about my good name/ its mine alone to disgrace” true that bestie ur doin a great job by being so politically quiet over the past couple of yeats after making a whole asss documentary about wanting to be on the right side of history. But I digress i am just one of those bitches performing soliloquies you'll never see. Overall this song is very weird and cringey imo and i wish it stayed in whatever vault it was sitting in lol.

7.Fresh out of the slammer: “In the shade of how he was feeling” -_- dont like this narrative already. I could honestly go on a rant about why i dont like this song but im going to spare for the sake of my sanity in this review of thirty one fucking songs but its along these lines “to the one who says im the girl of his american dreams” oh brother. otherwise i dont care for many of the lyrics, the chorus/ melody/vibe is mid i guess. It sounds like another jack song (i was right)

8. Florida!!!: “all my friends smell like weed or little babies” okay i know what she was trying to say but im SORRY you cant tell me she couldnt think of ANY other way to say her friends are either parents partiers lmao. Deserves jail for that but luckily the vibe and the chorus of the song are really catchy and florence’s voice is beautiful in it. “Well me and my ghost we had a hell of a time/ yes im haunted but im feeling just fine” CHILLS i loved it. I didnt think i would like this song but (maybe as much as i like no body, no crime which is meh) but no i lowkey love this song and think its really fun. Once again the drug references start to get heavy here in the album and like i mentioned i do get slightly triggered by drug mentions.

9. Guilty as sin?:

okay taylor we get it you masterbate. Another strong jack song and it’s pretty similar to others on the album so nothing besides the sexual lyrics stand out.

10. Whos afraid of little old me?:

“if you wanted me dead you should have just said/ nothing makes me feel more alive” ooooooooooh i love that. I feel like a live or an acoustic version of this song would give me CHILLS. “Is it a wonder i broke / lets hear one more joke/ then we can all laugh until i cry” honestly so relatable, “i was tame, i was gentle til the circus life made me mean” oh :( that hurt bc it just reminds me of the vibe shift during midnights era/ eras tour where it *feels* like she started to pull back from being taylor swift and started to become Taylor Swift (™) and the way her fans/ media has treated her made her mean or cold or something and that just makes me feel sad. “Whos afraid of little old me? You caged me and then you called me crazy! I am what i am cause you trained me! SO. WHOS. AFRAID. OF ME? Again the narcotics line kinda makes me feel icky but thats bc i have that thing about drugs and just dont LOVE all the references to them. Like i know its not that serious but theres a reason why i dont seek out artists that typically talk or write about that stuff ya know so its weird. Overall i think the production is one of the most unique ones on this part of the album.

11. I can fix him (no really i can):

i hate it all around i think. I hate the narrative of “i can fix him!! I can handle a dangerous man!!! No really i can!!!” there is a reason why this song is barely 3 mins long lol it should have been cut but i think taylor wanted to Be Edgy. i dont care for the productions or the lyrics, its very forgetful imo.

12. Loml:

okay i really thought this was gonna be a joe song (rip) so i was thinking it was gonna be really deep and sad and like it IS but with the context of it being the pt 2 fling with matty it doesnt seem like it now. Anyone who thinks this is not about matty please look at the lyrics and be so serious “whos gonna stop us from waltzing back into reklndled flames/ if we know the steps anyway” I think matty just said too much shit to taylor during their fling and taylor WAS truly convinced this her invisible string and he promised her a lot that he couldnt upkeep and ghosted her and she took it SUPER hard, i mean two breakups in one year is a lot (me, whos never been through a single breakup once). I just dont understand how she feels like matty is the greatest loss of her life. One of my favorite tracks on the album, “our field of dreams engulfed in fire/ your arsons match your somber eyes” a LOT of these lyrics are actually really good imo. I think im the only one that didnt find the “mr. steal your girl and make her cry” line idk i thought it was actually kinda neat, the phrasing of it, kinda contradicts the title “love of my life” because he was never that serious or respectful of her and only use her from the beginning. This is another song that i think would make KILLER poem over song. Overall i think the piano is haunting and a live version of this will make me die, thank u again aaron dessner 10/10

13. I can do it with a broken heart:

ngl i thought this was the opening to mastermind for a hot second- also gave me a scare on whether or not this was a fake leak lol. Catchy ass chorus but very YOYOK. “Breaking down i hit the floor/ All the pieces of me shattered/ as the crowd was shouting “more!” ooffffffff seeeeee that is exactly WHAT i was afraid she was feeling durning the eras tour after the joe breakup/ matty situation and all these stupid twitter and tik tok swiffers were out here overanalyzing EVERYTHING and demanding rep tv like every other day. “Im so depressed i act like its my birthday” …….okay taylor. Like a lot of people have said, i think she interchanges “depressed” for “sad” a lot and the two are not the same. I think taylor wrote this song (but specifically the “i cry a lot time but i am so productive” and was like “yup this part is gonna go viral on tik tok,” initially i wrote “feels like taylor saw that depression barbie commercial in barbie 2023 and wrote a song based on that” lol which i still agree with. Overall the production of this screams midnights reject lol, very jack antonoff. Over time this song has grown on me a lot. Originally i didnt care for it but now its kind of a bop but i think its bc its so similar to YOYOK. “Try and come for my job” @taylorswift deadass you couldn’t think of anything else to say instead. cmon. I was mostly on board until that very last part, just seemed very cheesy lol like its not a big deal but i thought it delivered well without it.

14. The smallest man who ever lived:

(aaron thank u for saving me and this entire album) “they just ghosted you/ now you know what it feels like” OUCH. “i dont even want you back i just want you to know/ if rusting my sparkling was the goal/ and i dont miss what we had but can someone give/ a message to the smallest man who ever lived” oh this was somber af. I am obsessed with the phrasing of the chorus. I also LOVE taylors deeper voice its def giving me the same feelings MTR gave me from folklore, that made me CRY and this was very similar. This is another classic taylor song that i could EASILY write like a ten page essay about if someone put a gun to my head. I know that its about a *romantic* relationship, but it feels general enough to be able to relate to anyone who is close to someone with an addiction or struggles with substances. A lot of addicts dont understand the impact of their addiction or their behaviors that they display while struggling. To meeeeee, this feels very much like “you were self centered and betrayed my trust, was any of this true? Real? Am i paranoid or is this that deep?” “it wasnt sexy once it wasnt forbidden” has me thinking lots of things. I think that describes taylors “type”if that makes sense? Like i said i would need to literally break this song down line by line like its ridiculous i have too many thoughts about this song i have listened to it on repeat six times by the time im typing this. “In public showed me off/ then sank in stoned oblivion” FUCK. “you treat her like an also-ran” honestly i have never heard of that phrase/word thank u dr. swift. “Were you sent by someone who wanted me DEAD/ did you sleep with a GUN underneath OUR BED/ were you writing a BOOK?/ were you a sleeper cell SPY? IN 5O YEARS WILL THIS BE ALL DECLASSIFIED?/ AND YOU’LL CONFESS WHY YOU DID IT!/ AND ILL SAY GOOD RIDDANCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” tears were formed besties. Also love the gracie abrams reference. “And you deserve prison but you wont get time” i feel like is very metaphorical like you DESERVE to be punished for what you did to me but you won’t admit to the guilt, you wont admit your wrongdoings, you wont admit that i would have done anything for you and you have no problem replacing me. “You said normal girls were boring/ but you were gone by the morning” first of all red flag girlie, nonetheless heartbreaking. “And in plain sight you hid/ but you are what you did” i say this with all the love in my heart, someone take taylor swift to a really good really private therapist. I could say more but i think i need to move on because i am now on my eighth cyle of listening to this song.

15. The alchemy:

already kinda hate it. “What if i told you im back/ the hospital was a drag/ worst sleep i ever had” do you think taylor swift has ever been admitted to a real hospital in this context. Feels very out of place and like i said earlier i dont love the psych ward visuals/ references she keeps inserting in this album. “He jokes its heroin but this time with an e” thanks! I fucking hate that line so much. Feels very icky, not funny. I get what shes going for but it falls so flat for me. The football references (yall know my opinion on meathead!!!!!!!! I will not engage!!!) are fucking dumb. Production is kinda lame and uninterested. Will only listen to this song if by force and will not repeat it ive head enough lets move on.

i have Lots Of Thoughts. i don’t think anyone cares about what i have to say though so i don’t think i’ll bother posting the rest lol but i did do a lot of work so ill post just a bit to make myself feel better.

#personal #ts ttpd #ttpd #the tortured poets department

[mofffun]

King-Ohger Character Song memo

link to streaming

Gira - Kind King

oooh rock! something Taisei himself likes? (Masashi mentioned they quickly became friends because they have football and rock bands in common)

the opening electric tunes is a consistent Dug motif

His voice is SO cute and the mismatch with the instrumetns XD

I like 'i gotta we gotta' part. catchy kinda slogan-y like self pep talk

Gira will stand up to unjustice and do it himself, but with the bonds with his friends too 😭😭

the longer I listen to it the less it sounds like Taisei?? and closer to sports anime freshman protag. I look forward to listening its live version.

Overall the song is very motivating and cheerful, let's just say it does sound like something Gira could write himself.

there's no beating INFERNO, but the lyrics is direct and cute, very fitting for Gira's character.

You get the chara song is how the character wants to express themselves and the image song is who they are from an outside perspective.

Yanma - Teppen Online

hmmm I'm surprised by the chorus? (+ve)

musically I don't find much surprise with this one but I like the chorus. Try & Fight and I'm still alive were just too impactful.

no wait it sounds like the most we learn about Prez?

In the lyrics he said, "some things don't need to be said (out loud)" and yeah, he's a bit shy in expressing affection huh? Or say, he believes in action more than words and he's the traditional manly type that's like, "hing1 dai6, sum ziu3 lah"

Himeno - Golden Garden

the "I wish" song in musicals

That's Erica's voice???

'K I can see the second verse as Hime singing to Rita.

ah no bridge (I think none of them have bridge? :(

A very beautiful song. Gives me a 2000s shojo amime ED vibe.

Rita - Moffun's Song

Yeah no, I don't like Rita's stuck being a Moffun fan in their character song. Can't say I'm more impressed by the full version as a Yuzuki fan either

The short version impressed me by showing Yuzuki's range in just under a minute. The high note is moved to the very end of the song from verse 2

Some rationalize it as Rita themself choosing to use this version to represent themself and I can see the reasoning behind Rita's caring interior should've be apparent by now and you have the contrast with Ignorantia but UGH I want the Chief Justice actually singing about their struggle and duty and YOU KNOW MAYBE TOUCH ON THEIR CONNECTION WITH GOKKAN????? IN HIRAKAWA'S LOW IKEMEN VOICE???

On the other hand did we ever get an explanation of why Rita likes Moffun in the first place? We know it's not some tragic backstory and honestly, they could've like it simply because it's cute. And yes, I can infer why someone like Rita would like something like Moffun but hnnnnn it's not canon

but another contradiction I'm facing is actually I was glad to see an adult character who's not afraid of showing their otaku passionate side, but Rita's not fully committed to that...

Kaguragi - 仰天珍道中

hohoho I so look forward to Kaku-san's singing.

oh my god that's really good???

i can see him on a showa TV show in a white suit

this is gonna be a brainworm

it's much faster than I expected too.

there's lore in this lyrics… (looks up japanese dictionary)

Jeramie - 線上のTrickster

Masashi's in the "singing voice close to speaking voice" group.

Jeramie, you're not beating the Noel allegations

has some early 2000s J-rock vibes I guess?

It's not a bad song ay any rate but again (like the perfume) doesn't feel very Jeramie to me?? Maybe I've been paying too little attention to him my interpretation deviation from official's for the second time?

(I like The Prophet better but maybe this will warm up to me)

#mon mon

[vctrvn-ls]

Beta Squad members as The Weeknd songs {and why}

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。. .・。.・゜✭・. .・

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AJ: Shameless

guys guys guyyyssss , listen to the fvcking lyrics and tell me that’s not how you imagine being in a relationship with him!! the melody too, like it just gives off such Aje vibes you know? trusstt this is his song 100% , im sure with this one

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。. .・。.・゜✭・. .・

Niko: Losers

now now now, why would I pick a semi-basic song for my husband? well it’s not really basic though. listen to the words and fricking tell me that it doesn’t sound like a Niko thing?? like the lines “cause stupid’s next to I love you” and obviously “only losers go to school” ahahah. and the melody is so upbeat but not too over the top at the same time, just like Niko, you guys get me??? like plz I put a lot of thought into this one ahahah

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。. .・。.・゜✭・. .・

Sharky: Rockin’

sooo I was stuck in between this song and ‘Next’ but then I came to a conclusion that the latter is too too chill (almost sad) and the lyrics wouldn’t make sense. maybe the lyrics of ‘Rockin’ don’t all apply to Sharks, but the melody is his 100% because of how catchy and easy going it sounds!!! and you would totally be rockin’ together. being with sharky would be like dating your best friend no? j think ab it, he loves to gossip (podcasts r there for a reason), he dresses sooo well (outfit matchy matchy), great listener and an overall sweetheart!!! and the line “you don’t have to waste your energy”!?!? a slay line, defo cause he’d be so carefree w u and feel amazing. Sharky ily sm <3

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。. .・。.・゜✭・. .・

Kenny: Gasoline

ssshhhh guys,this is such an underrated song Im telling you, j like Kenny. this song is j *chefs kiss* for him, despite the fact that I can’t explain why the main chorus of the song has me thinking ab Kenny when the lyrics have nothing to do w him. Ik it feels like I j wasn’t bothered for poor Kenny, but that ain’t the case. really like, here you either get it or don’t, it’s j all ab the vibe rlly. (also the OD line in the chorus kind of resembles his boxing to me..like if u were to be in a relationship you’d obviously help him, help him stay motivated, always be on his side and support him no matter what, that’s why it’s “I know you won’t let me OD” , cause he would literally trust you w his whole life!!)

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。. .・。.・゜✭・. .・

Chunkz: Ordinary Life

lyrics lyrics lyrics is all I can say guys. maybe don’t listen to them too deeply, but off of the surface vibes we get religion, fame and the contrast of the two. we all know Chunkz takes his religion seriously, to the point where he gave up music, and we all know he is considered a very successful individual. so connecting the two, he probably does have a hard time balancing them which only makes sense because usually religion is more ab the spiritual world rather than the material. additionally the main chorus is lively tuneful but still sounds kind of mature (u get me guys? I hope so) which is literally a description of our bby Chunkz <3

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。. .・。.・゜✭・. .・

BONUS:

Filly: Best Friends

honestly self-explanatory hahaha, like this man always talking how he doesn’t want a serious relationship or anything like that, like he a fwb typa guy. lyrics v fitting if like someone ends up falling for him (me), I mean cmon like who wouldn’t…it’s Filly. looks, charisma, vibe, j a dream man fr. the melody lowk calm, drk if it’s v Filly but in some way I would say yes..

#beta squad #youtube #niko omilana #chunkz #aj shabeel #king kenny #sharky #ndl #niko omilana x reader #aj shabeel x reader #kenny x reader #sharky x reader #chunkz x reader

[magmythedevil]

My murder drones episodes tierlist

(this is just my personal opinion, also i don't really tend to make this post a deep analysis or anything lmfao)

1° - DEAD END

This episode is just---- omg so perfect. Everything is just so wonderfull, i want to say much more about this one but i cant even bring myself to explain It with words yet. i just love this one so much. Also, i love how all the video reviews so far can agree with that tol 10/10

2° - THE PROMENING

One of the best for sure!!!! Its genuinely amazing and the songs in this episodes where the most catchy ones for me! Its one of the episodes that really showed the true essence of this show (also nuzi heheheh) 9.8/10

3° - CABIN FEVER

The only episode that acctually made me cry so far (/Srs) i acctually like this episode more than the third one so i could put this one in second place If i wanted but i have my personal reasons to why i dont. But this one genuinely mess with me and also the one were i got the most Liam vickers vibe from lfmao. And the animation is just ugghhh /pos. ALSO N in this episode has no right to be so cool... 9.8/10

4° - PILOT

I genuinely have a soft spot for this one because of the early 2010 cartoon vibes and other things...... I also love it because N was genuinely so scary /pos. Overall its just a really great episode to debut the characters and the word and really showed how murder drones would be Glitch's Gold Mine. Also im still shocked at how small the team was. 9.5/10

5° - HOME

This episode was really Nice! Uzi was the best part in this episode for me, she was so cute and badass ( and the litte subtle nuzi moments that only real ones realize) and i had a good time with Cyn, but overall i dont really have much strong feelings for this one because i cant really enjoy worker N in the same way i enjoy Disassembly N. (He was still husband material tho-) 8.5/10

6° - HEARTBEAT

This episode was really great! It was a nice set up to show how the real vibes of the series would be and seeing nuzi get separated Just after recently meeting was so... </3 but i cant really bring myself to enjoy this one that much when compared to the others for some reason. But still great! 8/10

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So anyways Thats It! Go watch murder drones If you havent alredy because Its genuinely the most amazing things i have ever seen and its shocking how this series is indie

#murder drones #murder drones n #murder drones uzi #murder drones v #tier list

[theboytatu]

on my youth - wayv: a review

it's not often that i look forward to an album as much as i did with this one tbh, so it was a little hard to accept the song description SM dropped for on my youth before it was released. "low tempo emotional hip hop ballad" is definitely not what i look for in kpop/cpop (this term will be used interchangeably sorry to the way is cpop purists following me) and i immediately let my expectations drop to nearly zero when this came out. SM has had a very, and i mean VERY hit or miss year - probably a combination of the hybe/kakao takeover fiasco and industry-wide creative exhaustion - for all their idols, with long-awaited comebacks missing the mark abysmally or simply putting out subpar "fine at best" insipid music.

wayv's last (and only) full album was released in the midst of the 2020 lockdown - a time so different in every aspect but specifically in the kpop world it feels like it could have been a lifetime ago - and after their 9/11, lineup changes, months of delays and two mini albums with mixed results, it's safe to say this album was make or break for the group. with that lengthy foreword out of the way i am very happy to inform that wayv not only delivered - they surpassed all my expectations and managed to deftly execute what was in their case their most awaited comeback ever. here are my highlights from the album:

on my youth

like i said, i really didn't know what to expect for an emotional hip hop ballad but this song packs a punch like few other low tempo title tracks do. it seems to hit every mark for a minor key progression - the slow start, the build-up, the emotional first verse being delivered beautifully by xiaojun's superb ability to emote, along with a really nice, kinda muted instrumental that consists of piano, some synths and a restrained percussion.

it even manages to deliver on the required second verse slow rapping about how people say we're too young to know better - thanks to yangyang's personality shining through on these verses the shtick manages to go from cheesy to enjoyable, and even hendery allows himself a moment or two of true sincerity in his rap.

the chorus is a welcomed switch-up with a catchy hook that quickly becomes an ear-worm. it's the perfect balance to make this song go from b-side to title track material. the final chorus has an amazing instrumental climax that matches the grandiose, emotional vibe of the song's theme and it translates amazingly in the performance video's choreography.

overall this song might be top 3 wayv's title tracks depending on who you ask. for me it's definitely up there and i actually love the english version better because well, you can tell this was originally meant to be an english language song. i give it a 9/10 (and i famously hate slower songs)

poppin' love

a lot of people would say that this should've been the title track and they might be right. i'm not sure what the artistic direction for this comeback was built around, but the emotional title track was definitely picked for a reason over a more conventional, easy sell like this one. but this one is not only an easy sell, it's yet another hit that proves wayv is the best and most 90s boyband coded group in kpop right now - because they are perfect for it. they fit the vibes and the sound in a way that few, if none, other current groups can pull off without feeling gimmicky.

the chorus is sultry enough to keep it in the r&b territory but the added hip hop elements keep it super energizing. it's like if love talk and nectar had a baby. the selling point for me is the added harmonization they included in the refrain of "you're the only one" and it's so cool. it feels like the entire song is tightly built around the bassline and the high melody of the chorus - at 3:05 minutes it gives you the exact amount you need of everything. nothing lags behind and nothing fizzles out too quickly. it has enough grit to stick your hands into while reimagining the classic boyband elements enough to keep you on your toes. a HIGH 10/10 from me.

rodeo

this song is just bonkers. is it that groundbreaking or original? not really, but it manages to make it feel soooo exciting it's like i've never heard a dj snake beat drop in my life lmfaooo 😭 the vocals are crunchy enough to give me asmr when putting on my headphones. the instrumental while very basic edm still punches in with some cool drums - but of course the star of the show is the bass drop.

referencing lil jon in this should be enough to give them an award tbh. like this is giving nct 127 unserious club banger in the best of ways.... and they still hold it down with their own personalities. this is not markyong going crazy with himalayas, this is yangdery showing they can pull off subunit songs (and winwin is there too i guess) while doing whatever in the recording booth. rodeo is just a VERY enjoyable kpop rap line playground and trust that i will eat it up every time it comes on. 9/10

moonlight

there are songs that can be amazing when you play the album, and there are songs that you just instantly know will be superior if you hear them performed live. moonlight is the second kind, and the entire vocal structure is enough to make me want to see wayv at a concert at least once in my life.

the chorus is insane. the stacked vocals give it a depth that is almost cinematic and i do need to give kun, ten and xiaojun their tens for this accomplishment, but specially kun. sure - xiaojun might be the most technically gifted vocalist in the group and i am in love with his tone, but this song has kun all over the foundations. i dont have the stems for the track but i can bet my life that kun recorded at least five layers for that chorus. his tone is so distinctive i can almost only hear him during the high points of the song.

anyway, this song is super pretty. it's just gorgeously designed. i actually wish it was a vocal line only song because the compulsory rap additions do not fit with the rest of the atmosphere at all. still, this gets a 10/10.

lighthouse

when i heard this the first time i wrote "wayv outsold both exo AND shinee for ballad of the year at sm" and i stand by it. again, this style is just classic boyband slow tear jerker and they execute it perfectly. i'm a notorious hater of ballads in kpop and yet not only can i sit through this every time i put on the album, i actively seek it out. like holy shit, this only happens with exo for me.

the song is very straightforward - a heartbreak song about missing the girl they lost. but it's so well made it just works perfectly. another point where wayv need to be praised is their ability to emote. xiaojun specially is amazing at this - you can hear the yearning in his voice. i actually think ten has also learned from him because he comes across just as sincere in this. (kun does famously stiffen up which is not an issue here but still, xiaojun carries this ballad for sure). the instrumental is very cozy and i like how the whole track is designed to sound as if they're singing from just slightly behind you. 9/10

#wayv #this review is so fucking long lmfaoooo #idc i had so much fun doing it this album truly has THEE most replay value

[sneef-to-a-snorf-fight]

Totally Spies! S1 E1-5 Tier

Ok so my girlfriend (@twigsprout) and I watched the first 5 episodes of Totally Spies! and Wow. It's rough folks. So here is the tier list so far.

These will probably move around and new tiers will probably be made as we watch more episodes. First off, since this is the piss on the poor website, I want to clarify that the thing that makes episodes gross isn't the fact that they depict fetishes or kink, it's the fact that adult men are writing teenage girls in very obviously horny situations. Anyway here are some highlights from my notes.

A Thing for Musicians: the entire plot is that 2 old men trick a teenage himbo into being a hypno dom and turning anyone who hears his music (mostly teenage girls) into drones that call him master

The New Jerry: foot shot, weird sugar daddy vibes going on

Get Away: crotch shot in very horny position, alex gets catfished by her employer

Stuck in the Middle Ages with You: alex and sam get chained up in a dungeon, clover gets chained up multiple times and is threatened to be forced to marry some weirdo (of unknown age), clover and a king (who is definitely an adult) almost kiss

Child's Play: jesus christ, there was so much happening eventually i was just stunned and stopped writing things down. overall gist, a lot of age play stuff going down as well as doll stuff, reprogramming, age regression/hypnotizing, also theres an ass shot

Overall, so far, I think the show could actually be good if the writers weren't so creepy. My girlfriend also pointed out that even if they had just made the 3 main characters actual adults, it wouldn't be so bad. They're already designed like adult characters, too. Despite the creepiness, the show is fun and girly, and the y2k aesthetic is sublime. The music is catchy, too. But the writing just sucks.

The other thing is that the 3 main characters are indistinguishable from each other personality-wise. The only unique personality traits they have are: Clover is more boy crazy and Sam is smarter usually? Alex doesn't have any unique traits though.

So yeah! 21 episodes to go for season 1!

#totally spies! tier list #totally spies #totally spies!

[nayeonline]

Ari's K-Pop Roundup: March 2024 (ILLIT, ARTMS, CHUNGHA, VCHA + MORE)

Check out last months installment here :) sidenote: sorry about this episode being a bit heavy on the smaller reviews - have been experiencing a cruel and unusual combination of illness and exam season lol - next month will hopefully be slightly better

Magnetic - ILLIT (SUPER REAL ME)

Whether you watched HYBE's 2023 idol survival show 'R U Next?' or you had the self preservation to skip it, if you were into k-pop at that time, you definitely heard about it. The show gained attention from the community originally because it was from HYBE, the newest, and arguably currently the most influential k-pop company goliath, and because HYBE's girl groups (notably Le Sserafim and NewJeans) are famous for influencing the kpop scene instantly upon debut, and maintaining their spots in the top 10s of the charts for many months. This was HYBE giving us a look behind the curtain at the making of the next big girl group, and letting us call a lot of the shots along the way. Or at least that's what it was supposed to be. Rigging in these type of idol shows is practically expected, but HYBE was a new offender, and their crimes weren't only frequent, but pretty obvious. The fans protested, but nothing changed. ILLIT, the group that emerged on the other side, was a group that was hardly a showcase of the talent on display on the show, nor a reflection of the fans and their biases. It was a reflection of who the producers felt fit their pre-established concept for the group, an influencing factor that wasn't made clear to the fans watching, nor potentially, to the idols participating. Ironically, since the whole point of a survival show is to drum up support and build a fanbase for a group's upcoming debut, ILLIT has arguably started off on a worse foot than if they had just dropped 'Magnetic' on YouTube out of nowhere, NewJeans 'Attention' style.

However, regardless of their rocky start, ILLIT is here, with their debut mini album 'SUPER REAL ME', featuring the title track 'Magnetic' - let's talk about it. 'Magnetic' capitalizes on that glitchy, 8-bit, distorted, bedroom pop sound that's been blowing up recently, both in the k-pop industry by NewJeans, LOONA, and tripleS, and in the western space by Pinkpantheress. It's easily catchy, and highly danceable, and the members sound amazing on it - I felt especially drawn to Minju's delivery, her vocal tone is beautifully unique, and Wonhee did a stellar job as the centric member of the choruses. Magnetic's allusions to NewJeans are undeniable, if only lacking that certain NewJeans je ne sais quoi. I don't really have a problem with this, if I get more fun songs out of groups allegedly 'copying' NewJeans then it's a win for me, my only fear is that if ILLIT doesn't find their own niche they will be called knock-off NewJeans for the rest of their careers, which isn't fair to the girls. TripleS got accused of something similar back with AAA's 'Generation', but since then they have carved out a space for themselves in the industry, making music and exploring aesthetics others aren't.

As for the b-sides, I was kind of obsessed with 'My World', even though it is functionally an intro; it's such an unexpected earworm. 'Midnight Fiction' is cute, even if I think it needed another hook or layer of production to elevate it more. 'Lucky Girl Syndrome' is slightly better than 'Midnight Fiction', but a bit worse than 'Magnetic'. It's very obvious that the title came before the track, and it bizarrely sounds kind of like 'Sensitive' by Loossemble? The chorus is slightly weak, but I am obsessed with the instrumentation and the production choices - this song sounds nothing like NewJeans, I really hope they draw from this vibe in their future releases.

Overall, a pretty decent debut. You will definitely catch me streaming 'Magnetic' over the next few weeks, whether it will have the longevity to stick around in my playlist for longer remains to be seen. Good luck ILLIT, you've had a rough start in the industry, but it's clear that they have a big career ahead of them, and I for one, am seated.

Pre1: Birth - ARTMS [LOONA] (Dall)

After an iconic run of Haseul and Heejin's solo projects, as well as ODD EYE CIRCLE's first release out of BBC, 5/12 of the LOONA girls are here as ARTMS. 'Birth' is a song that operates outside of the conventions of kpop formulae; its experimental, confrontational, melancholy and bears an undercurrent of rage. Tonally and structurally it is unique from anything being released right now, and lyrically its compelling and mysterious. If this is a taste of what the upcoming album is going to sound like, I am extremely excited.

The music video is one of the best kpop has to offer - its so unlike anything else I have seen. I heavily encourage you all to go check out the theories the orbits/ouriis have been cooking up because LOONA LORE IS BACK!! I am very curious if the loossemble lore will link to this in any way, but that remains to be seen.

EENIE MEENIE - CHUNG HA, feat. HONGJOONG

Chungha is back, with a new company and an old concept. I'm not sure how to feel about this track, its clear she feels very confident in this style and it does suit her more than 'Sparkling', but I think 'Sparkling' was overall a better song. The production of 'Eenie Meenie' is very high quality and I especially loved that guitar layer in the chorus, and bringing Hongjoong in for a verse was a great call, he fits the song and matches Chungha's vibe perfectly. Unfortunately however, I don't find the chorus to be very catchy, which is clearly what the song is banking on in order to chart. The whole 'eenie meenie minie mo' thing is odd, but honestly could have been worse if this song had been given to anyone other than Chungha, the real death sentence for this song was the lack of interesting melody. I'm happy that Chungha is now making the kind of music she wants to, I just hope that the quality of releases go up in the future.

Only One - VCHA

Who knew that when Fifty Fifty crumbled due to their (allegedly) god awful company, it would be VCHA of all groups to successfully pick up the retro girlpop gauntlet?? 'Only One' is genuinely so fun, that post chorus is a killer, and even the mildly awkward writing clears up after the first verse. The girls have such great chemistry, and they are all genuinely improving their skills every comeback, and although I may have questioned JYP's decision to debut girls who had barely been in training, seeing the girls improve in real time is lowkey actually a selling point - like now I want to pay attention to them to see how good they are going to get?? JYP making an intelligent marketing decision?? In this economy?? Congratulations VCHA, you have officially established yourself as a force to be reckoned with, KATSEYE had better bring the heat when they debut to compete with this.

MINI REVIEWS:

Get Goin' - aespa: did you know this song existed? no! Is it surprisingly really fun? well yes! not sure what aespa has to do with fraggle rock, but if it takes Apple TV spamming SM Entertianment's dms to get aespa to release more music, then that's what must be done.

The knight who can't die and the silk cradle - LUCY: (req. by @a-moth-to-the-light) I've always been mildly aware of LUCY, but until my moot requested I review their latest release, I had never heard any of their songs. Needless to say, I was severely impressed. This song is so cinematic and heartfelt - to my knowledge it isn't part of an OST to a particularly cinematic kdrama, but it might as well be. I heavily encourage you all to go watch the mv with subtitles on, or read the translation, because lyrically this is a masterpiece. LUCY, you have officially caught my attention, I will be checking out future releases.

Paths to home - 문채원, HOWUS: The music video for this song, at time of writing, currently has 147 views, I have no clue how I stumbled across it, but I am so glad I did. 'Paths to home' is a beautifully constructed and performed citypop inspired track that to me evokes LOONA's early discography, especially those from Hyunjin's solo project. It is so perfectly constructed to my tastes, I love it to death. I have no idea how 'HOWUS' as a project works, I don't know if it's a group, a company, a subunit, or apparently even when it was released because according to some websites it came out in 2022 (the struggles of extremely nugu kpop cannot be understated), but what I do know is that this song deserves more attention, and I adore it. This is one for the NewJeans, LOONA yyxy, tripleS +(KR)ystal Eyes girlies.

Wish You Hell - WENDY (Red Velvet): SM finally gave Wendy a song that isn't a ballad!!! This song is pretty fun, but I wish it bit more oomph. The lyrics leave much to be desired, but Wendy's vocal performance is naturally very high quality, although I wish she went a bit harder in some sections - she's singing about wishing someone hell, but tonally it sounds like she's serenading them lol. A fun song, could have been better with another few drafts. Seulgi's 'best Red Velvet solo project' crown is yet to slip.

BBB - Purple Kiss: I will never shut the fuck up about how good 'Zombie' is, so seeing them explore similar sounds is so exciting for me!! 'BBB' is a very easy going listen, never awkward, never unpleasant, and although I think it needed a little something more to elevate it, it's a fun song I could easily see myself loving this summer. Swan absolutely ate up this comeback btw.

XXL - YOUNG POSSE: Bizarre sfx aside, I am very glad young posse is attempting to bring back 2000s hip hop into kpop, even if the execution is mildly clunky.

#illit #magnetic #r u next? #artms #loona #artms birth #chungha #hongjoong #ateez #eenie meenie #vcha #only one #aespa #fraggle rock #get goin aespa #lucy #the knight who cant die and the silk cradle #myun ji #howus #wendy #red velvet #rv wendy #wish you hell #purple kiss #purple kiss bbb #young posse #young posse xxl #kpop girls #kpop #kpop gg

[itsclydebitches]

RWBY Recaps: "Altercation at the Auspicious Auction"

Happy, uh... Tuesday, everyone! I'm a little bit behind 😬

Man oh man, but do I have mixed feelings about this episode. While drafting today's recap I kept trying to come up with a summary to start with; an abbreviated takeaway of my overall thoughts - especially for any readers who don't feel like wading through the whole post. Unfortunately, anything that simplistic kinda misses the point, so you all are just gonna have to settle for a, "I'm a glass case of mixed emotions!" while we unpack this episode.

First, a note about our title. Last week I bypassed commenting on "A Place of Particular Concern" for the simple reason that I wasn't sure what to do with it yet. Now, I think I understand the general vibe that RWBY is going for, though it does surprise me a little. The alliteration of "Altercation at the Auspicious Auction" is definitely catchy, but it doesn't have much of a Wonderland feel to it. Carroll's chapter titles were, by and large, descriptively straightforward:

Down the Rabbit-Hole

The Pool of Tears

Advice from a Caterpillar

Who Stole the Tarts?

You get the idea. They're very accessible for a child because although the combination might be new - how does one get advice from a caterpillar? - every element is familiar. They know what a rabbit-hole is, a tart, a pool, tears, etc. just not how those elements are fitting together in new ways. RWBY's titles, meanwhile, are a little more complex. Which isn't a bad thing, they're just not titles that would have fit well into Carroll's original or, arguably, fit the whimsical, fairy tale, 'This is kinda for kids' vibe of the Volume thus far. If anything, what we've gotten reminds me of Lemony Snicket's work. An auspicious auction sounds like it belongs smack dab in the austere academy.

Anyway, let's get into the actual story. Last we left off, Volume 9 was struggling significantly with its tone and I'm sorry to say that things haven't improved in that regard. If anything, the introduction of better written, more emotionally driven scenes means that they're suffering from the endless gags surrounding them and those gags, in turn, feel all the more out of place. We open on the girls all looking out on the world that Blake has revealed to them, though none of the emotion from last week has transferred over. Ruby and Yang are just kinda blank as they stare ahead, whereas Blake and Weiss appear intrigued by what's before them. Blake I can understand - the episode goes out of its way to frame her as the book nerd who's prepared to navigate this world and though I mentioned in a recent ask that Ruby feels more like the fairy tale lover to me, I do really like that Blake is given agency as the bibliophile again - but Weiss spends the entire episode having an absolute crisis over navigating a fairy tale, so why she's animated looking smugly pleased at this development is beyond me.

This is a common problem though, especially is modern RWBY. Unless the story is going out of its way to highlight a particular emotion (such as Ruby's depression at certain points) then everyone is given randomly generic expressions to fill a shot. Rarely do I feel like the smaller moments accurately reflect the overall mood. If a character is angry, they're just as likely to be smiling while someone else talks; if a character is frustrated, they're just as likely to appear content when the focus is no longer on them. In some ways this highlights the difficulties inherent in animation - you can't just let an actor do their job in the background, you have to actively conceive of and construct a characters' every micro-expression - but, the issue of crunch aside, it's still something the show could improve on. If your character is on screen, make sure their expressions actually matches what's been going on.

So we're off to a slightly rocky start and then, of course, we really kick things off with a joke. Yang wants to know if they're just going to stand around thinking about this in silence, or...?

Yeah, we definitely needed the meta acknowledgement that there was a break between episodes and we don't technically know how long the girls were staring at the view in-world. That's absolutely the best way to follow up on Ruby collapsing over the death of a friend🤦‍♀️

It'll come as no surprise to anyone who has seen the episode that this will be a common complaint from me today. Consistently the writing portions out moments for Ruby to be sad about what's happened, neatly separated from the rest of the story, and everything surrounding those moments works very hard to undermine that emotion. For example, in this moment I couldn't help but re-frame what we've been given through Yang's perspective: she saved her little sister and in the process fell into a terrifying void, waking with the thought that she's probably dead. Her arm was stolen from her and she somehow encountered a (meant to be) terrifying beast she wasn't able to fully defend herself against. This led to her reuniting with her team and the realization that them being here meant that they failed spectacularly to defend the world above. Weiss confirms this by tearfully admitting that one of their friends has died and Ruby is so shocked that she passes out.

So how does Yang react to all that? With incredibly bland questions about whether Ruby is okay. No physical comfort. Lots of jokes about their situation and, as we'll see later, an endless desire to punch someone's lights out - but even that is presented as a cute character quirk, not a symptom of her trauma. Yang - and everyone else - is only reacting to the horrors of Volume 8 when the story wants them to react, the Bad Emotions flipping on and off depending on whether the writers want another gag or not.

But I'm getting way ahead of myself. The point is that we begin with this sarcastically cheery tone and segue right into more animation humor. Ruby says that it's impossible that they're in a fairy tale, but Blake points out Little as evidence. (Side-note: how is that irrefutable evidence when the woman giving it is part CAT?) A highlighted mouse and Ruby's sweat-drop convey that yes, this is really happening! Because we can't convince the characters without those humorous details.

Oddly though, Little agrees with Ruby? We see them nodding along when Ruby says they can't possibly be in a fairy tale and right now I'm not sure if that's because they agree with the idea that their obviously real home can't be equated with a made-up story - something Little will outright say in a moment - or if they're just agreeing because, frankly, Little seems confused 99% of the time, but possesses enough emotional intelligence to want to make Ruby happy.

Regardless, with Little acting as (shaky) proof, Weiss revises Ruby's statement to say that it's "improbable" that they're in a fairy tale and we get the trailer line, "Let's look at this more logically, shall we?" You know, I think this line comes across much better here than it does in isolation. It's still not going to be winning any voice acting awards, but the flow of the conversation helps it out quite a bit.

However, I think Weiss', “Okay. I see your point of view. I’m going to go over here now" sounds so much worse.

Before that though she runs through all the plot we've already seen or, in Yang's case, was mentioned off screen while Ruby was unconscious. (And yes, the fact that Yang told everyone about her harrowing journey when the most important person in the world to her couldn't listen in still bugs me.) They all fell from the sky, Ruby met a talking mouse, Weiss and Blake encountered killer vines, and Yang had her arm stolen by a purple racoon. As if the deadpan nonsense of that wasn't enough, the scene needs to inject even more humor by having Little interrupt with a shouted "FRIENDS! :D"

Please note that nothing in this scene emphasizes - or even hints at - Ruby's current emotional state. From the flat expressions as she listens in, to the tiny smile when Little celebrates their friendship, this Ruby is indistinguishable form the girl we've seen for the last four-ish Volumes. As I mentioned above, it's an ongoing problem for me that the Volume is consistently separating Ruby's depression from, well, everything else. I'm not saying she has to be sobbing every second of the episode, but if you can snag a random scene - especially one so soon after her faint - give it to an ignorant RWBY fan, and expect that they'd have no idea based on this animation that she was dealing with the traumatic death of a friend... you need to go back and re-write that scene.

The absurdity of Yang's experience results in Weiss giving up on her logical approach. She gives that line about going over there now, bye-bye, and then we see... uh...

What is this? I have nothing against Weiss struggling with them being here - that actually makes a lot of sense for her character - but do we really need to convey her struggle like this? I literally cannot take the emotional beats seriously when they're surrounded by this Chibi-like silliness. Worse, later in the episode Weiss' comedic grumbling will return and actively interrupt Ruby's grieving.

But we'll get to that.

“As crazy as it sounds, something about this is familiar," Ruby says and then the girls realize that what they've experienced sounds an awful lot like "The Girl Who Fell Through the World." And by "an awful lot" I mean it's nearly an exact, one-for-one recreation. Cool concept! Too bad the viewer barely knew this story existed before the girls landed here. If you'll recall, the fairy tale was mentioned back in Volume 8 when Oscar was captured by Salem, which tells us that the writers realized what they wanted for the upcoming Volume and hastily tried to shove a reference in so this didn't come entirely out of left field. However, this wasn't a successful attempt imo. All we learn from Oscar's conversation with Ozpin is that a) a girl fell through Remnant, b) she wound up in a new world, and c) she returned to Remnant sad because she'd been so changed by her journey. Nothing in that tiny summary tells us what the world was like, or what Alyx experienced there, the two things that would help sell the idea that our characters recognize this environment and the things they've been through. Hell, we don't even learn the girl's name prior to Blake info-dumping the plot. "Alyx" exists only in Roman Holiday, a book I read and 100% did not remember learning the name. How's the average fan not obsessively plugged into every RWBY side-project supposed to emotionally invest in this?

Here then, we see another case where RWBY needs long-term revision. Given that they'd be basing an entire Volume around this fairy tale and putting an emphasis on the girls' knowledge of this story, we needed to spend time actually showing that the girls possess this knowledge; that it's of cultural significance to them. Give us a flashback of Summer reading the fairy tale to a young Ruby. Have the girls reference it during their Beacon days - Weiss makes fun of Ruby for still reading fairy tales when they're unpacking their room, Blake admits that it's one of the few tales she likes because of what Alyx needs to do to survive, Yang reminisces about sharing the story with her little sis. Give us Pyrrha bringing it up when she's asked what her favorite tale is. Ozpin hints during their travels that everything they grew up with is more than it seems, hiding grains of truth. Jaune reads bits of the story to his nephew, they overhear a version while the people of Mantle are trying to find comfort while they wait, there are posters up in Atlas for a movie adaptation coming out next Spring... Obviously some of these aren't possible - I never expected RT to invent a time machine and actually revise the earlier Volumes lol - but if you're going to pull this, "The characters knew this story all along and it was a super memorable part of their childhood" card then there needs to be something to set that up. And if you can't backtrack due to the medium you're writing in, you put off the Ever After Volume until you've done at least some of the work to properly prepare for it. At the very least you do more than have Oscar randomly mention it post-torture session, complete with no identifying information for the viewers to recognize once the Volume 9 trailer drops.

Or, they might have conceived of this as a tale that isn't well known and the girls are damn lucky that Blake is well-read enough to have come across it. But as it stands, Ruby suddenly recognizes where they are, Yang agrees, Weiss casually tosses out that oh yeah, of course they've all read this as kids. Obviously. You just never heard about it until now. Funny that! I found this particularly annoying when Blake suddenly reveals that the entirety of the premiere makes up the plot of this tale: Alyx falls a long distance, meets a bunch of mice, has to deal with killer vines, meets a Jabberwocker (why bother changing the name to little?), and had her knife stolen by a racoon. This is only impactful if the viewer can see the similarities as they're happening and come to the early conclusion that, oh wow, they're reenacting a Remanent fairy tale! What RWBY actually does though is present a bunch of seemingly random events, leaves the viewer for a week, and then comes back to say, "Actually you know what? That was all important!" But, I'd like to emphasize, not in a way akin to foreshadowing. This wasn't deftly planned; a trail of subtle breadcrumbs that the viewer can look back on and go, "Oh my god I should have realized!" We haven't the slightest idea that they're reenacting the plot of a fairy tale until Blake announces that... after its all occurred.

As the girls realize they're living out Alyx's story, there's understandably a bit of push-back. How can that be? It's fiction! (Even though, you know, by now they're well aware that their headmaster lived through a lot of 'fiction' too.) Little pipes up that this place isn't make believe, it's where they live... but doesn't actually provide any useful information beyond that.

Blake then proceeds to lay out the rest of the fairy tale's plot and also, presumably, the basic outline for our season: Alyx beat the Red King at his own board game, met the curious cat, encountered the rested knight (interesting description. I assume that'll be Jaune?), and finally escaped back home through the tree. Of course, if the girl we saw in our opening is really Alyx, then she didn't get back to Remnant (or wherever else she might be from. At this point I'm not putting it past RWBY to introduce a MCU-style multiverse. Especially with the Justice League crossover coming out). Right now, I'm not sure how to reconcile this idea. If Alyx never escaped then how did her story - and all its personal details - make it back to Remnant? Did someone else escape to tell her story? Does Ozpin have some world-traveling powers that we don’t know about yet? Does Alyx?

Maybe that’s not Alyx and this question is pointless.

Ooor maybe this question will simply go unanswered, leaving us with the plot-hole of how her story became a fairy tale so common that everyone from farmers out in Patch to corporate princesses in Atlas grow up on it.

(RWBY has a lot of world building diversity, don’t worry about it.)

Anyway, I do appreciate that this gives the girls a solid reason to seek out the tree. Last week I honestly thought they might be heading there under the ‘logic’ of “Why not? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯” Yes, the tree is massive and at the center of the land, but that kind of marker is only useful if you already know where you’re going - it doesn’t necessarily imply an exit. If anything, my first attempt to get out would have been via the ocean, given that some, like Ruby, appear to have come in with the tide post-fall. Plus it’s the only boundary we’ve seen. But what RT wrote holds together, even if the delivery had problems: Ruby was seeking higher ground and then realized she’s re-living a story where the tree is the protagonist’s way out. Well done, that tracks.

From there though things continue to struggle. Weiss reminds Ruby that she hasn't even found Crescent Rose yet and I thought, foolishly, that this would result in some kind of acknowledgment? Meaning, it's really easy to view this as a symptom of Ruby's declining mental health. As her encounter with Jinxy will demonstrate, she's so hopeless right now that she can't take joy in the things she once loved - or even care about their existence. Weiss is clearly concerned that Ruby hasn't found Crescent Rose, but no one else is concerned that Ruby isn't concerned. There's no mildly shocked, "Oh" from Ruby as she realizes, oh yeah, she's without her beloved, hand-made weapon modeled after her Uncle, perhaps also in connection with her mother, the thing she once turned to for comfort when she didn't know how to make any friends. Ruby: 'I should probably care that I've lost that, huh?' But we get zip in regards to her realizing that this emotionally significant object is still lost in the Ever After somewhere. Worse, no one else reacts to Ruby's lack of reaction. Alarm bells should be going off in Yang's head at the moment, but the episode is too focused on comedy and flirting to let her really check in with her little sister. Yang has come to the realization that Ruby horrifically lost that fight, watched her faint in response to the death of a friend, and now she doesn't even blink at the idea that her prized weapon might be gone for good. By all means, give us bumblebee, I WANT more canonical content (more on that below), but there's a time and a place. Ruby still not having Crescent Rose should be a huge deal for her and when it's not that should be a huge deal for Yang.

Also, I'd like to point that this loss makes Ruby incredibly vulnerable here (as the brief Jabberwock encounter demonstrates), potentially highlighting her less than passionate desire to keep herself safe. So is Yang - or even her other teammates - at all concerned about Ruby's mental health? Her own sense of safety?

Barely. They're not showing much.

I give Weiss props for trying to reach Ruby in a few moments, but Blake and Yang are too busy being wrapped up in each other to bother. (Which could be an interesting conflict/character flaw if the show acknowledged it.) This is the same problem we had in Volume 8: why is Yang worried about Blake when she had a huge fight with Ruby? Because RT can't figure out where to put their bumblebee moments so they don't actively draw away from the other relationships.

Before that though we need to have another gag moment, this time through flashback images of Yang having her arm stolen.

Look at this.

Who decided this was a good tone for the Volume? The contrast between past and present says it all. Yang is looking quite serious as she recalls presumably falling to her death, but we can't take her seriously because the trauma of that is undermined by a circle of cartoon stars over her head. Having her assistive device stolen while she was vulnerable makes Yang furious? Well, it doesn't make the viewer furious because they're too busy laughing at her dramatic reach, Jinxy's equally dramatic, evil design, and the cartoon-y white eyes/exaggeratedly open mouth. Notably, Blake is laughing too, rather uproariously, and I'm surprised that I haven't seen any non-RWDE grumbling from the fandom. After all, weren't people upset when Tai made a joke about Yang's arm, insisting that it was the height of insensitivity? How dare he say such a thing! ... never mind how Yang reacted to it. For me, a father knowing his daughter well enough to help jolt her out of an angry spiral, weeks after the event occurred, is better than a school friend laughing at the traumatic event mere hours after it happened... but that's just me. Apparently, shipping trumps all because it's presented as cute and wholesome for Blake to laugh over Yang having her assistive device stolen after the worst night of their lives. Disarmed, am I right?

Nothing in this scene tells the viewer to take the theft seriously, so... I don't. Yang went through something incredibly difficult after an already horrific night? No she didn't. She experienced an average annoyance, something to laugh at - as Blake demonstrates.

Deciding that they need to track this Jinxy down (I'm not challenging the need for that, especially when it's Yang's arm, but is no one planning to find Crescent Rose too?), the girls head to the nearest town. Cue the already overused joke that Little will lead the way! And then they don't.

We get more info-dumping about this story, including that Alyx accidentally started a war in the town because she went blundering in without understanding their customs. Blake is worried that fictional history might repeat itself which I like because yes, you should be worried about that! Not just because it's basic human decency not to sow chaos in the town you're visiting, not even because they've already seen themselves repeating Alyx's story (fall, mice, vines, theft) and thus have an excellent reason to think that they might repeat her mistakes as well, but because what has this group been doing since Volume 6 except blunder into places and sow chaos? Not intentionally. I am always fully aware that our cast is written to be well-meaning heroes consistently doing the best they possibly can for the people, but even if we believed that they truly had done everything within their power to help (which I often don't), their "best" has still caused irrevocable damage. Intentions aside, the group has tampered with one of the world's few remaining sources of communication, drew a terrifying grimm toan unsuspecting populace, tested the already shaky relations between Kingdoms, lied to their one remaining ally in a way that did nothing to help his declining mental health, risked a major operation on literal, blind trust (which wouldn't be so bad if the story hadn't gone out of its way to paint that as stupid, but only when a non-Team RWBY memeber does it), sat around drinking tea while an actual apocalypse was happening outside, lost two of the magical relics that may well doom the world (a failure that I personally wouldn't blame them for if they hadn't been so stupidly brazen in their "protection": not putting it in the vault, carrying it on their belt, not sending someone through to Vacuo with the Staff, etc.), and to top it all off, made the conscious decision to obliterate two cities, evicting a fourth of the world's population, without even TRYING to find a way to work around that nearly unimaginable consequence. Without even acknowledging it.

Yeah, they should absolutely be concerned about bringing chaos down on these people. The fact that for once they don't when narrative logic says they should is so painfully, hilariously ironic.

What really grinds my gears though is that none of the others care about this possibility when, as outlined above, they should. MAJOR kudos to Blake for being the voice of reason here, but Yang is all, "Yeah, but [Alyx] was kinda a mean person, right? She lied and cheated her way through most of the book."

OH BOY, YANG. HAVE I GOT NEWS ABOUT YOU AND YOUR TEAMMATES.

We don't need a rehashing of all the times they - Yang in particular - have lied, cheated, or been needlessly mean to others, so I suppose all I have left to say is that she's at least consistent? I mean, Yang is by far my least favorite of the group nowadays, especially the version of her that would sneer at Ren for daring to point out that they've made horrific mistakes, but for what it's worth this is the attitude we've come to expect from her. Us? Fuck things up? Never! We're perfect! We're not like mean old Alyx who would do something as awful as lie to people.

Weiss tries to defend Alyx's actions by saying that "she was trying to survive" and grousing that the morals are too simplistic. That's a position I can respect, though I wish it weren't coming from a show that, at the end of the day, pushes such a simplistic perspective. As we've seen plenty of times in the past, RWBY continually claims that it has complex morals while not actually engaging with complex morals.

Just to hammer the point home, I'd like to point out that this conversation about harmful actions and gray morality is broken up by Ruby poking a sleeping Little, trying unsuccessfully to wake them up. After all, nothing highlights the complexity of your story like continuing mouse gags.

Let's put all that aside for a moment though. I've been jumping around just a bit, discussing some conversation pieces out of order because it works better with the flow of the recap. Now, we come to a crucial moment I previously skipped over:

The bees.

Being over a week late with this recap, pretty much everything that needs to be said has been said, to the point where even some non-RWDE folks are tentatively going, "So is that it then? Is it confirmed? Can I say with complete confidence that it's canonical?"

Well... no.

But it's the closest we've ever gotten.

It's also a setback.

Let me explain.

While Blake is laughing it up over Yang having her arm stolen, she gets very flirty. In fact, I think we can make a case that her laughter is exaggerated in an effort to catch Yang's attention, though that doesn't detract from the problem of what she's laughing at in the first place. Regardless, Blake is clearly enamored with Yang in this moment, grinning, leaning real close, teasingly touching their fingers together. They don't hold hands, but the desire is obviously there, and Weiss responds to the flirting with a, "It's about time."

Now, the reason why this is the closest we've gotten to a canonical confirmation is 100% because of Weiss. I wouldn't argue for a moment that this scene wasn't deliberately flirty, but it still holds a certain level of plausible deniability, which is the exact problem all the other Yang/Blake scenes have. Yes, forehead touches, hand-holding, and blushes are all coded as romantic, but until you actually confirm a relationship or interest, homophobes can come back with, "I blush at compliments/hold my friends' hands/they were just overwhelmed after nearly dying! Why do you hate platonic intimacy so much??" (To be clear, I do mean homophobes in this example, not the ace/aro community who might want to see the same things, but for very different reasons.) In fact, I recently came across a tumblr post tagged for arospecs upholding forehead touches over kisses:

Now, I certainly get what OP is saying (and it's worth pointing out the obvious: they don't know anything about my recaps, aren't responding to RWBY, etc. The post just came across my dash). There's an intimacy here that rings as more heartfelt than what we often get with a kiss. After all, kisses are a dime-a-dozen in television, just not for queer people, and largely in response to those restrictions, queer characters have historically been coded through other, intimate touches. So yeah, for some - even those who aren't aro/ace - a forehead touch might mean so much more in a pairing than an outright kiss. But note that the texpost starts with, "sure, fine, your characters kissed, whatever." OP is imaging a scenario in which that confirmation is a given. They kissed. So what? We want more meaningful interactions than just that!

"Just that" being the key phrase. Blake and Yang don't have "just that." They have not kissed. They have not been confirmed, so to argue for forehead-touch supremacy here is insufficient. It's like going, "Who cares about the core outfit. The best part is accessorizing!" Sure, that's a legit opinion, but for anyone who doesn't have any clothes yet, a pair of earrings and a scarf isn't going to cut it.

Despite all this, the line "It's about time" isn't attributed to anything other than romance. If a character looks at two others and says that, they're not talking about anything other than a decidedly non-platonic interest. So this, on its own, is definitely something to celebrate and is by far the most solid piece of evidence that the bees will be 100% confirmed by the end of the Volume.

Nevertheless, I have to ask: why are we still in the flirting stage?

Yes, Weiss makes a 'They like each other' comment that really can't be interpreted as anything else, but the comment itself translates to, 'It's about time they admitted they liked each other.' Now, if Blake had kissed Yang - or asked her out on a date, said "I love you," whatever confirmation we're each personally leaning towards - then we'd be golden. It's about time they did that? Yeah, it sure is! But the actions Weiss responds to are that flirty dialogue and a minuscule hand-brush, both of which we've seen before. A fair bit, actually.

This is what I mean when I say the moment is regressive. Weiss is acting like Blake and Yang have taken this huge step forward in their relationship, but the reality is that they've gone backwards, from full-on hand-holding to tentative brushes. The hand-holding already wasn't enough, as established, but now we're meant to cheer for an aborted hand-holding instead? I suppose it's possible to read this purely from Weiss' perspective. Meaning, she wasn't out in the shed when Blake took Yang's artificial hand. She wasn't at the Adam fight (even though she should have been...) to see their actual step forward, clasping hands as one and promising to defend each other. And though she was there, I doubt Weiss was paying them any mind when they had their moment of comfort on the airship, or even when Yang complimented Blake's new haircut. So yes, from Weiss' limited perspective this might actually be a significant change. Most of the girls' development has occurred in private and they haven't shared these changes with the group, so of course Weiss is going to go, 'Oh wow, Blake is leaning in close and teasing Yang with intimate finger brushes - they've never done that before! It's about time! :D'

But - and this is a crucial 'but' - neither the story nor RWBY's marketing present this as something solely from Weiss' perspective. Despite making this "It's about time" statement to Ruby, she doesn't come back with any additional knowledge to catch Weiss up to speed. There's no moment when Blake and Yang turn around to reveal that, oh yeah, we've actually been flirting like this for a while - culminating in an on screen admission of their feelings. And the official RWBY twitter puts out stuff like this:

The audience isn't supposed to work through who knows what like I've done above, they're just meant to celebrate that omg, the girls touched fingers!! Never-mind that they've gone past that before and, as said multiple times, that's not enough.

Do I think the bees will be confirmed this Volume given that this is the most overtly anyone has acknowledged the relationship? Yes. Do I think it's a problem that after nine years we're still in the barely flirting stage when other, straight relationships - even slowburns like renora - have already been explicitly confirmed? Also yes.

RWBY is writing this badly and I again question where most Yang/Blake fans are coming from. Either you're old enough to recognize queerbaiting and are likely wary as fuck that we'll get a repeat here, or you're young enough that you've grown up with queer ships that are unambiguously canonical within the first few seasons - if you even had to wait that long - in which case this 'Are they or aren't they?' dance should seem ridiculous. All I can imagine is that the RWBY fandom's tendency to rewrite canon has led to a legitimately inaccurate reading of the text. The same way that people will claim that their headcanons 100% happened on screen and will not be dissuaded even when you stick screenshots under their nose and go, "Look! That's literally not happening here!" I wonder how many fans imagined up a romance and just... honest to god think we've already gotten it. Not that anyone is literally hallucinating or anything, just that there's this pervasive trend of imprinting what one imagines onto the text. What do you mean Ironwood wasn't a dictator the whole time? What do you mean Ruby is repeating the actions she's criticized others for? What do you mean Blake and Yang aren't dating? We've spent so long rewriting the canon online that it's now hard as hell to differentiate between those creative hopes and what has actually happened on screen.

So yeah. I want to praise this moment. I am praising it just because this is the most we've ever gotten out of RWBY in terms of non-background character queer rep, but damn is it still falling short of what it could be.

It's worth pointing out that Ruby has no reaction to her sister almost-dating her teammate, but I give this a pass because Ruby is so obviously lost in her own, dark thoughts. In fact, she doesn't even seem to follow what Weiss is commenting on. As we'd expect, their semi-private conversation turns dark and Weiss stops walking. “It’s all gone. There’s nothing left for me to go back to," she says.

I'm really glad they're acknowledging that Weiss didn't just broadly mess up along with the rest of the group, but that she, specifically, has lost her home too. I honestly thought the acknowledgements would end there, but when Ruby tries to comfort with a, “You did the best you could for Atlas, Weiss” she shoots back with, “We hatched a crazy plan that put a whole kingdom at risk!”

Yeah you did! Thank you for finally saying that!! If we can't have heroes weighing the repercussions of their actions prior to engaging with them, at least give me heroes who will grapple with their mistakes after the fact. I mean, like with Yang I have a very hard time taking Weiss' grief and self-recrimination seriously when the majority of her struggle has been depicted through absurd gags... but beggars can't be choosers. This, coupled with Ruby's closing line of the episode, gives me more hope for the girls' development than I've had in years, certainly more than we got from Ren's argument with Yang.

As a sidenote though, I wish they hadn't hidden Weiss' face for the majority of this scene. I liked it when this cinematography was used to emphasize how she was hiding from her teammates - AKA when she was keeping Penny's death a secret - but now? Everyone knows everything (for the most part, anyway) and it would add a hell of a lot for the viewer to be able to see the struggle taking place on Weiss' face. Of course, the animating of emotions this Volume has been iffy, as acknowledged earlier, so maybe it is for the best that they didn't try and then fail to depict that kind of sorrow. Not when vaguely wet eyes and mostly blank expressions have been our norm. Still, when we have this important a character moment I don't want to be staring at Weiss' back, or her ridiculously complicated belt. Let me see her.

(I just realized that combining those screenshots makes it look like Weiss has messed up shoulders and a head turned round backwards whoops lololol.)

Another weird detail is that Weiss seems to be under the impression that Jaune may have saved the Relics. Sorry, but what? I'd buy this as a holding out hope situation if the whole group didn't know that Cinder had the Lamp and if Weiss, as the last to fall, wasn't at least vaguely aware that Cinder had snagged the Staff too. I mean, I'd have to re-watch the finale to get the exact timing, but I don't think it was that long between Weiss falling and Cinder flying off to make a new wish. Besides, what's the healer of the group going to do against a fully powered Maiden, especially without the rest of his team? It's not a literal mistake/retcon, just a really weird thing to have your character believe. I'm kinda getting the vibe that the writers didn't want to list all the ways the group fucked up - because yeah, that's overwhelming. That's what we've been saying! - so some mistakes are just kinda... glossed over. 'Well sure, we destroyed a Kingdom, Penny died, and we're now lost in this world, but maybe the Relics are still safe!' Mmm no, sorry. The only 'Well maybe' I'll accept is in reference to the people of Atlas being safe because yeah, there's no reason for Weiss or the others to know that they wound up in a grimm-infested sandstorm. I definitely give Weiss a pass for not realizing how her wish screwed them over - "One way ticked to Vacuo" - because it literally took Oscar summoning up a memory he didn't have to figure that out. I mean, I'm in full agreement with what others have said: it would be great if Weiss did realize/learn that at some point and was forced to grapple with the fact that the lack of help she's so angry over was, in fact, her fault... but I don't expect her to realize that on the fly, especially not when she's dealing with so much else in the Ever After.

I mean hell, I can barely remember the last sentence I wrote here. If you wanted me to backtrack through a conversation I had hours ago to find a linguistic mistake I made - when I don't even know there is a mistake I'm looking for - I'd be screwed lol.

As the conversation continues Weiss also acknowledges that learning about Penny's death must have been "a lot to hear" and - pushing back against my earlier frustration with the characters' expressions - Ruby actually looks affected by this. By and large I think this is the best interaction we've gotten in a while, right up through Ruby just walking away, unable to even respond to that statement yet. Unlike hiding Weiss' face, or Ruby fainting instead of otherwise reacting to the tragedy, this doesn't feel like a cop-out, but rather a legitimate, believable response. She's not capable of processing this yet, let alone chatting it out with Weiss.

Unfortunately, this engaging emotion doesn't last for long. As expected, I've seen posts in the larger RWBY fandom criticizing our criticisms, claiming that all RWDE folk want are "doom and gloom" for the girls; something "edgy." To which I can only respond with a "Nah." I like horror and tragedy and morally gray storytelling, but if we're defining "doom and gloom" as a work that has nothing but hopeless pessimism to impart, I'm not here for it. All I want is a Volume that appropriately engages with the darker tone introduced in Volume 3 and ramped up like WHOA in Volume 8, without cracking its foundation with constant, contradictory jokes.

In short, we have really done without another, humorous' moment where Little proves themselves useless - they have no idea what lies beyond the bridge, despite offering to guide Team RWBY on this journey - as well as a long sequence (long for a 15-20 minute episode, anyway) wherein Little tries to build themselves a home because...? I mean, I get that they don't know their way back to the village, but what made them think they weren't continuing on with the girls in the first place? I think the logic is loosey-goosey because the writers just wanted an excuse to have Little build a rickety home to fall apart. While singing. While the group has over-the-top reactions to that. Gags upon gags upon gags.

Continuing on, they arrive at the town and I've gotta say, I really like the design here. The red of the architecture pairs nicely with the deep green sky. As a fantasy aesthetic, I mean. I do wish this had carried over onto the actual streets though. We loose that cohesion among the townspeople and, frankly, they look bad in comparison.

We get a little discomfort from the girls as they navigate among sentient game pieces and we're shown a closeup of a flyer advertising the birthday of "His Most Royal." I'm writing this paragraph having seen Episode 3, so kudos to RT for keeping that title vague. As the groups awkwardly move through the crowd we get what is, hands down, the best line of the Volume so far:

Blake: "Just act like you belong."

Little: "I've always wanted to be long, but I'm still just small."

Hilarious. Witty. 10 out of 10. That's the kind of Caroll-esque humor that could permeate the Volume without undermining the darker tone. Too bad this is currently a one-off moment.

They spot Jinxy's caravan. “So what’s the strategy?" Yang asks, eagerly looking back at her teammates. "Just start roughing 'em up, or what?” Ah yes, Yang. Start an attack with innocent, defenseless civilians all around you. I honestly hate how her solution to everything is still 'Get angry and punch things.' Not because that's a bad trait in a character, but because Yang specifically went through an arc to get better at that. Yet instead of improving, or have a story that engages with her failure, she's just as impulsively violent as she's always been, but now it's treated as a justified response at best, a cute quirk at worst. Here we've got Option #2 with Yang smiling, acting like beating up Jinxy is a fun outing for her and her friends.

And you know what? No, I don't really care that this is all to get her arm back because as the girls should have learned by now, the Ever After doesn't follow their rules. We know, post-scene, that Jinxy is legitimately a conman who knowingly stole Yang's arm, but crucially none of the characters know that. Not for sure. This is a world where mice talk, vines move on their own, people are made out of wood, and most don't even know what a human is. The group should at least be questioning Jinxy's motivations in a world where everything is (supposedly) so topsey-turvey and, in turn, questioning whether it's right to go in gun's blazing. Hell, I actually would have liked that better. Give me a Jinxy who honestly didn't realize he was doing something wrong. You were just lying there, possibly dead, that metal thing is clearly not a part of your squishy body - it detaches! - and as your mouse friend will clearly tell you, it's not stealing if no one sees you do it. What are you so upset for? Give me a scene where Yang has to acknowledge her, 'Attack first, ask questions later' response to every. single. problem. Give me a RWBY where Yang is allowed to be wrong again.

Blake at least tries a peaceful approach. She looks as uncomfortable with Yang's attitude as I am (is that ever going to come up in their budding relationship?) and reminds her that Alyx bartered for her knife back. Yang's response?

"Yeah, I think I'd rather hit him :D"

We get our first real look at Jinxy when he comes out to start his auction. I'll admit this never even crossed my mind while first watching, but uh... yeah. I see what people mean about the Romani stereotyping. The brightly colored, free-flowing clothing. The caravan. The travel (the fact that Jinxy can trick these townspeople implies that he's never been here before; never staying in one place for very long). The characterization as a dangerous charlatan scamming unsuspecting innocents. It's not a one-to-one comparison - stereotypes very rarely are - but there's enough there to catch a glimpse of the writers' bias. It's unfortunately a rather common bias and, as said, one that those like myself won't always immediately spot, but that's why it's important to point it out. There are so many ways of depicting a conman. Why did you choose the version that looks distinctly like a marginalized ethnic group?

The answer is likely just ignorance but again, that's why we discuss such things. We need to help others - and ourselves - do better in the future.

Obviously unaware of the uncomfortable implications, Weiss exclaims that Jinxy is oh so cute and Blake comments that he looks older than he appeared in the book, perhaps providing evidence that a significant amount of time has passed since Alyx fell. We learn that Jinxy screws over people by selling trash disguised as treasure, so Yang will have to let her heart tell her which is her arm.

Spoiler: Yang doesn't use her heart to find her arm. Oh, she correctly identifies her arm, but only because it's the most arm-shaped, yellow colored thing on the stage. I honestly expected that not to be her arm because that's how situations like these go in stories, right? It's never the most obvious choice... but in this case apparently it is! I want to emphasize though that Yang does not choose this because she has an emotional connection to the object. We are explicitly shown what that connection looks like via Ruby and Yang, in comparison, basically points and chooses at random.

So that's an awful way to depict her relationship with an assistive device, but it is consistent. We see Yang first emerge with her arm with very little fanfare - the audience doesn't watch her decide to put it on for the first time, nor do we see her actually experiencing those first moments. From there her arm is used largely for jokes - scaring Nora, new puns - or is left behind to get an advantage in a fight. (Which, I'd like to clarify, I don't dislike on its own, but it is relevant in the grand scheme of how Yang approaches her prosthetic.) Last Volume she's given a line about how it is not an important part of her identity, it continues to be used for humor purposes now, and when a fantasy mouse says, 'What does your heart tell you? Which is your arm?' Yang's response is a straightforward, 'I don't know.' For me, this moment perfectly encapsulates how hollow Yang's disability journey has been, all the way back to her simply not caring that another disabled ally procured her a state-of-the-art device. Though it makes for a lackluster scene, to put it mildly, I admittedly would have scoffed if Yang had felt some call to her arm because when has RWBY ever established that? It hasn't, so yay keeping things consistent I guess?

Also, just the fact that all of Jinxy's wares are bits of trash disguised as treasures says a lot. Unlike my little rewrite above, we don't get any exploration of Ever After's culture that reveals that Jinxy has no idea what this arm is, why it might be important, etc. So literally the narrative is just saying, 'Others think Yang's assistive device is trash' and we leave it at that. Fantastic.

As said though, Ruby does feel a pull towards the little doll on the stage, though she can't say why. As she stares, Jinxy sells his first 'treasure' for... a hug.

...

.....

..........

"And what happened, then? Well, on Tumblr they say that Clyde's small heart grew three sizes that day. And then – the true meaning of RWBY came through, and Clyde found the strength of ten turtles, plus two!”

I'm not gonna lie, I thought that detail was super fucking cute. Hugs acknowledged as incredibly valuable? Hell yeah! I like that the townspeople are paying in ways beyond handing over [insert fantasy money name here]. That's a nice world-building detail and when Jinxy has to give the hug back when his con is exposed? Fantastic. This scene might be struggling like whoa with the larger concepts, but many of the details are really nice.

When it's time to sell the arm both Yang and a nearby royal guard raise their hands. However, Jinxy asks for "knowing what it is to feel love" and, with a glance at Blake, Yang gives up the bid. If they were going to tease the ship some more, maybe specify romantic love? As it stands, Yang should be backing down regardless of whether there's a relationship in the works because love as a broad concept would have her losing everything: love for her sister, her teammates, her family, her home, for adventure. That's not a Blake specific thing, that's a, 'Holy shit he's asking her not to be human anymore' thing.

So it makes sense then that a wooden puppet, nameless and identical to every other guard, existing only to serve "His Most Royal" would be able to pay that price.

Of course, losing what she assumes is her arm (because remember, she doesn't actually know that yet) makes Yang angry. Check out Blake's totally chill, not at all worried, definitely not uncomfortable look.

Finally we come to the doll, which Ruby immediately bids on. However, like Yang's, Jinxy asks too high a price: fill this jar with hope. It's a bit on the nose, but I like the idea, as well as the shot of the doll sitting dejectedly through the jar's reflection.

However, I think this moment would have had far more of an impact if Ruby had tried to fill it. Sure, she's clearly struggling right now, but why doesn't Ruby at least make an attempt? Especially given that one of her most defining traits lately is to sink deeper into denial: I'm fine, everything's fine, we're going to get home, we're going to fix things, why would anyone be doubting that? Of course I can fill the stupid jar! Let her angrily charge up to the stage, snatch the jar, glare in annoyance because duh it's going to fill... but then it doesn't and her expression falls. That's when Jinxy can say, "You can't, can you?" Simply announcing that to the audience is probably the least compelling way to go about this. Oh, our story is telling us things again rather than showing them? Groundbreaking.

While all this is going on Little has scampered up on stage to fucking steal the doll and you know what? Good on Little. That's the first thing they've done that hasn't felt like a waste of time. I especially like that this calls back to the Ever After rule that it's not stealing if no one sees you do it. "Fairs fair," they say.

Given that Little took the 'treasure' before Jinxy received his payment, his spell is broken and all the objects are revealed as the 'trash' they always were. The random citizen finds a mouse in his hands, the guard screams as he sees Yang's arm in his hands, and the doll turns into...

Penny's sword.

(Get it? The green doll was a green sword belonging to a not-real girl? Everyone got it, right?)

Say, did anyone else expect it to be Crescent Rose? Ruby feeling an emotional connection to an object while her beloved weapon is still missing, lost in a world where a Racoon picks up any random objects to sell? That would make a LOT more sense than Penny's sword winding up in the Ever After. As I explained in an ask, Penny made those swords out of her Maiden powers and they disappeared as soon as Cinder struck her in the chest. Of course they did, she likely lost control of her aura/magic as soon as she took a killing blow. But apparently the swords actually hung around despite Penny passing her powers to Winter, despite being dead, and were... blasted? All the way to the edge of the bridge?? From a blow that didn't have any force behind it??? Yeah sure, totally believable.

So instead of resurrecting Ruby's love for the weapon she designed and re-arming her before the team faces any real danger - because there are no battles these first two episodes - we get another emotional moment without a real foundation underneath it. The writers were so eager to continue Ruby's grief arc specifically through Penny (even though SO MUCH has happened that she could be triggered in any number of ways) that they just kinda... forgot to set that up...

I do like the moment itself though. I think Ruby's frantic run to the sword, her gasp, her clutching the sword to her chest and crying over it - all that is well done. Certainly better than much of what we saw in episode one. I just wish this wasn't so freaking contrived.

In the realm of not setting things up, we get another severely awkward moment as the group "escapes." I put that in quotation marks because, well, the problem is that they're not escaping from anything. Jinxy isn't trying to attack them for revealing his con, the townspeople don't mistakenly blame them for things, and though the guards will show up in a bit, they're notably not seen chasing them yet. So we've got Yang and Blake booking it out of there, Weiss walking leisurely away, Ruby barely paying attention, all of it with nothing seemingly happening in the background.

Then they wind up back in the forest with:

Yang [out of breath]: "Those people... take auctions... VERY seriously”

No they don't? This implies that the people were turning on the girls for ruining their auction, but none of the civilians were paying them any mind. The most we see is the guy who bought the bunny getting his hug back which, you know, is kinda the opposite of a mad crowd threatening violence for this deception. Yang functions more as a threat at the start of all this than the group they're supposedly running from. Blake literally starts freaking out about how they're "ruining everything!" and I'm like you didn't? Nothing happened?? I mean, yay Blake continuing to take responsibility for their actions, but in this case the girls legitimately didn't cause any problems. In the story Alyx started a war because she didn't know how to properly deal with the townspeople, so I expected the team's visit to go equally as bad; something to explain Blake having a crisis once they'd left. All they did was reveal a conman though, a conman everyone is only passively angry at. Please give me my hug back, sir, and shame on you for tricking us. We will all calmly disperse now.

I know it's years too late, but RWBY really needs to learn how to show what they want depicted on screen.

We learn that the theories were right about the weather being influenced by others' emotions - or at least Ruby's emotions in particular. As she sits down with Penny's sword a localized storm starts and, in a few moments, we'll hear a guard shout that someone's sad over there. So this is a useful tool for showing (good job!) that Ruby is really struggling right now, even if she appears calm on the outside, and I'd have so much more to praise about the scene if it hadn't been ruined by freaking Weiss.

Seriously, forget Little. Weiss is by far the most annoying character this Volume.

So after Ruby fainted at the news that her dear friend had died, unexpectedly discovered her sword, and now sits with a grief so heavy it magics up a storm to drench them all, her teammates do... nothing. Honest to god they do nothing. Yang has a single, "Ruby?" before the scene is stolen by Weiss having a temper tantrum. She doesn't like Blake's idea that they're following in Alyx's footsteps - even though everything they've done has followed in her footsteps - and starts ranting about how "We are not in a book!" and even if they were, they know the ending takes place at the castle, so let's go. Does Weiss care that Ruby is sitting there in shock, even after she tried to connect with her earlier? No. Does Yang care that her sister is loosing it two feet away? No. Does Blake? Nope. Does the narrative? Absolutely not. Ruby sits in background while Weiss has more stupid comedy moments, getting trapped in a loop and hitting herself in the head with a rock.

I keep seeing celebratory posts about how the show is tackling Ruby's grief, but it's not? It's introducing her grief and then immediately ignoring it. Ruby cries and then finds a cute mouse to distract her. Ruby faints and just brushes past that - she's fine. Ruby finds her dead friend's weapon, but why would we focus on that when we can watch Weiss hilariously knock herself out? I feel like the stock answer to these complaints is always something along the lines of, "They're working up to Ruby's breakdown," but frankly I don't care if they are. The execution is atrocious now and a sudden swerve into respectful storytelling isn't going to change that.

Plus, as I've mentioned previously, these moments don't help convince me that the girls care for each other outside of the dramatic, self-sacrificing actions added to finales. Bad enough that everyone ignored Ruby's faint and extended no care towards her, but now they're literally just standing there as she suffers. This is by no means a new problem, but the heroes have become so passive the last few Volumes. What happened to Black who marched right up to Weiss and let her how important the faunus are to her? The Yang who squared off against her mother just to reach her little sister? Weiss delivering a cup of coffee and checking in with her newly acknowledged leader? Say what we will about Volume 8 - and we've all said a lot - but at least there Yang puts her arm around Ruby and tries to comfort her on the steps, no matter how much denial that comfort required. Now? Now Yang just stands there because again, why comfort her little sister when Weiss is making a fool of herself?

At least this has some basic care and human decency behind it.

"This way!" the royal guards yell. "Someone's sad!" Yeah and her teammates don't care. Sure, we know in the way someone knows who reads the script, or who knows the writers' intentions, that of course Team RWBY all love each other so, so much... but man, would it kill them to show it more?

As the guards show up we get an interesting shot of Ruby that mirrors the one with Jaune's blade--

--and then she pulls herself together enough to face them, deciding that if Alyx went to see the Red King then they will too.

Ruby offers to give the guards “the weapon of a powerful warrior," AKA Penny's sword, and what follows is a legitimately emotional speech:

"[She was] the most powerful [warrior] to ever live. She was touched by magic and she gave her life for thousands. She took a message of hope to the stars and she saw the world through better eyes."

At least, it would be legitimately emotional if it hadn't been undercut, again, by all the comedy. We just had Weiss loosing it. The guards all "OOOOOO" loudly over the sword. Then they burst into exaggerated tears at Ruby's words, complete with their toy horses crying too. I've said it a million times now and I'll say it again: you can't expect me to take these moments seriously if the story can't take them seriously.

Also, I have to ask... why is Ruby giving the sword up? The logic is that they're trying to get to the Red King, but they were already heading to the Red King. That is, the guards were after them, trying to take them into custody for ruining the birthday present. So why bother with this bribe? It's simply not necessary, especially since they're still basically escorted as prisoners, guards on all sides. It's not like these guards are presented as terribly intelligent. All Ruby needed to do was go, "Oh, we're so sorry for ruining His Majesty's special day. Yes, please take us to him so that we can apologize in person. Your Majesty, can we please make it up to you by playing some games? Etc. etc."

The sword is a needless addition and that wouldn't be a problem if it didn't (supposedly) have such emotional impact. Ruby just found this piece of Penny. This is, likely, the last bit of her she'll ever encounter... and she's going to just give that up? Literal minutes after she found it? To a bunch of identical goons who snatch it up and run off in another, stupid gag? Once again, this is not convincing me that Ruby is having an authentic grief arc. She might be sad for the whole Volume, but each individual moment is ignored or "solved" almost instantaneously. To say nothing of the fact that Ruby is without her weapon. She has the PERFECT, practical excuse to hang onto Penny's sword with everyone, characters, and audience alike realizing that her logic is hiding a harder truth: she can't give it up. Not yet. Maybe not ever. But then sure, give me a moment at the end of the Volume when Ruby must part with the sword for some reason, to save another, or further their cause. Giving it up now, especially when it's not necessary, makes the supposed attachment she feels to it ring hollow.

This is just so... meh. I honestly thought we'd be getting an updated version of this for a second.

As they follow the guards to the castle Ruby bitterly tells the girls that they need to "stop pretending we know what we’re doing." Hell yeah, Rubes, that's the first time we've agreed in a while. Whether or not anything comes of this line is still to be seen, but I'm happy that their failure - stemming from arrogant complacency -  was at least acknowledged. It's definitely a hard-hitting line to end an otherwise goofy episode on.

Now! I'm off to try and write up "Rude, Red, and Royal" in... three days🙃

Thanks for reading! <3

#rwde #rwby #mymetas #RWBY Recaps

[blue-jisungs]

your moots as songs go!!

GOSH I REALLY WANTED TO DO THAY BUT NOW THAT I REALLY GOT IT IM SWEATING ITS SO HARD LMAO OKAY LETS GO (it took so long help)

zanna @slytherinshua would be ‘happy fools’ by txt ft coi leray!! deposite the goofy title you’re so happy and being such a positive vibe just like the song!! well, i do feel like a happy fool while texting u bc you just bring the best in me and we r VIBING!! n screaming over txt. or minhyun. just doing our thing teehee

coco @enluv 'blockbuster' by enha fr yeonjun!! i remember when i first heard the song i just felt so positively pumped with energy (well i still do) and that’s how i feel whenever we interact!! you have those rockstar girlboss vibes just like the song fr!!! and ans i will never get rid of it (the song. and you!!) coaxe on top btw 🫡

ola @l3visbby 'mirror mirror' by milli, changbin and f.hero AND YK WJYYY. the power the song has. like!!! god!! and it screams girlboss. and you, mother, are certainly a girlboss. you're the freakin' savage yes you are

roxie @mirxzii ... 'home;run' by svt!!! i love this song sm you dont even know but its so... hyping. encourages me to do my best and be my self. and so do you!!! roxie you're inspirational and spread positivity just like this song <3

yena @fairyhaos 'fearless' by svt. besides the song being a musical masterpiece (the chours give me goosebumps istg), the dive into lyrics never fails to amaze me. the wordplay, the connections with 'fear', the overall written genius... chefs kiss. just like u!!! and your writing too!!!

skye @etherealyoungk 'fighting' by BSS ft lee youngji!!!! you're so positive and always spread good energy, encouraging me to keep fighting even if u donr realise that muahaha!!!

kimchi @planetkiimchi i had a struggle tbh but eventally id go for 'fire alarm' by nct dream. its hyping n energetic, just like you. and a little mischevious lmao but you give me that vibe (in a good way i swear)

@crxzs angie you're 'billy poco' by enhypen <3 LMFAO UFIEHAVCOJAQ yeah!!! I LOVE THE SONG THO ITS SO GOOFY BUT NEVER FAILS TO MAKE ME SMILE, JUST LIKE U!!!!

noelle @icyminghao 'boomboom' by svt!! its so catchy, you just listen to the song n vibe. and thats how i feel chatting with you!!! just fun, giggling n feeling like exploding from chuckles so quite literally, you got me like boomboom

rania @wheeboo 'happiness' by red velvet. also is this weirdly specifiic, idk, but you do give me red velvet vibes. but its a silly goofy song, reminds me of summer, good vibes and well, happiness.. just like you <3

@malarign 'przez twe oczy zielone' by akcent NAUR IM KIDDING IM SORRY joo! 'gotta get back' by p1harmony ft pink sweat$ !! idk why its just such a soft, cute song and it screams cosy vibes. so, exactly like you :D

nia... @rubywonu !! 'darl+ing' by svt :D ignoring thr lyrics hmh,, ha! but no, i really love this song its so calm and perfect to listen, chill. and earns a giggle or two from me bc im so whipped but hey!! you have that effect on me too <//3 and and you're so cozy too (i hope that makes sense lol)

hana @wqnwoos i’m sorry i can’t explain it fully but ‘attack on bangtan’ by bts. it’s just!!!! i always get so buzzed when i hear it so i it’s the same when we talk so that’s that hehe

@ylliris-hanniehae ylli!! id say ‘left and right’ by charlie puth ft jk!!! it’s such a silly but lovely song, i can never get tired of it… just like talking to you 🫵

#axe’s fun corner

[7grandmel]

Todays rip: 23/09/2023

From The Shad​-​slows (Plains of Des​-​passing​-​tú)

Season 4 Episode 2 Featured on: SiIvaGunner's Highest Quality Rips: Volume for Wii U

Ripped by UUN4

Exactly one week ago, I covered what I believe to be one of the most legendary rips in the channel's life - Plains of Des-passing-to. In that post, I tried to explain just what makes Despacito such a fun source for SiIvaGunner to use - that its overexposure paired with its genuine good qualities as a catchy tune makes it something every SiIva viewer will immediately recognize and begrudgingly vibe to. Paired with the infectiously fun instrumentation and overall style of Shovel Knight, it resulted in a banger many still return to frequently.

Two years later, though, UUN4 would return to that very same concept for a rip and make what's effectively its direct sequel. In the same way that From the Shadows sought to reimagine the original Strike the Earth! into a more sombre, melancholic piece, From The Shad​-​slows (Plains of Des​-​passing​-​tú) takes a similar approach to the original Despacito arrangement. Its slower, moodier, almost atmospheric in a way, despite still using Famitracker and a lot of similar instruments as its base and despite still, yknow, being Despacito of all songs. Yet it follows through on its concept from start to finish and is, just like the original From the Shadows, in my opinion a much more interesting listen - even though the original in this case was already one of the most fun listens on SiIva. Every note placed is perfect, every cue from the original rerendition is translated in such a purely authentic way - its all so good and so natural, its as if it was produced right alongside the original rip back in Season 3.

My affection may also be in due part to how recently I discovered this arrangement: the original track sits at close to 200 thousand views, wheras this sits at barely over 25 thousand. Its not a rip I see shared around nearly enough given its quality, and I'm hoping this shoutout will do it at least a little bit of justice.

Quality of From The Shad​-​slows (Plains of Des​-​passing​-​tú) aside, it plays into a part of SiIvaGunner that I really do love - that these kinds of becks and calls even exist within the channel to begin with. It wasn't as if Plains of Des-passing-to was a momentous occasion in the channel's life that would therefor obviously be paid tribute to in the future - UUN4 simply realized on his own how fun it would be to expand upon a joke he told amidst hundreds of others during Season 3. The deeper you go into SiIvaGunner, and indeed the deeper you'll go on this blog, the more fascinating examples like this you'll find on the channel - rips paying tribute to one another despite releasing several years apart, and despite sometimes not even being as popular as Plains of Des-passing-to was.

Nothing on SiIvaGunner is ever forgotten. Not even if its a hit Latin pop song from 2017.

#todays siivagunner #season 4 episode 2 #siivagunner #siiva #UUN4 #despacito #shovel knight #shovel knight specter of torment #specter of torment #specter knight #yacht club games #indie games #indiedev #famitracker #jake kaufman #wayforward

[astrozuya]

minisode 3: tomorrow album review (∩˃o˂∩)♡

01. i'll see you there tomorrow: its v fun and chill.. its not superrr special to me but i like it ^_^ 8/10 (edit: after a few more listens it's become a 9/10 + the choreo is insanely good omfg the dance break is so. sooo. <3333)

02. deja vu: it was everything i'd expected and MORE omg their vocals were so powerful + the chorus is so so catchy omg <3 it's very easy to listen to.. it doesn't top srr for me but its close :3 say it say it say it say it louderrrr!1!!!1 9/10

03. miracle: LITERALLY PERFECT its so comforting and nostalgic, it reminds me a little of lo$er=lover.. it has that hopeful late night city drive vibe to it which i absolutely LOVE.. total comfort song, 10/10

04. the killa (i belong to you): tinnitus's partner in crime.. the crime of being too sexy <3 i still think tinnitus solos but this was good too. 7.5/10

05. quarter life: i melted on the spot its everything to me wahhh i LOVE loud songs sm. it has a very similar Vibe to miracle. WHY is it so short though it ends right when im rlly getting into it.. still. total comfort song pt 2, 9/10

overall rating: 8/10. it didn't top temptation for me but its still rlly great. i loved the nostalgic vibes, for some reason it reminded me of younger me and when i first got into txt. its not a no-skip but its close <3 <3

#— starring luka ☆